Interview: “Trade unions have a long history of advocating for gender equality and economic justice for women”

Ms. Roya Garayeva is the President of the Women's Committee of the Pan European Regional Council of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). She has been working at the Azerbaijan Trade Unions Confederation since 2014 and currently leads the sector for ‘Work with International Organisations’ within the international relations department. On 21-22 October 2024, Ms. Garayeva was a key speaker at the Beijing+30 Regional Review Meeting, where progress on women’s rights and gender equality was assessed ahead of the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. During the meeting, Ms. Roya Garayeva highlighted the path to peaceful, just and inclusive societies by accelerating women’s economic empowerment. In this interview, she delves deeper into the role trade unions play in closing gender pay gaps ensuring decent wages and conditions for women in the care sector.

What role do trade unions play in advocating for and implementing equal pay and anti-discrimination legislation?

Trade unions have a long history of campaigning and advocating for gender equality and social and economic justice for women. In many countries, trade unions have made significant strides towards closing the gender pay gap through various means. These include social dialogue, collective bargaining, campaigning, and legal action. Trade unions have successfully pushed for progressive legislation such as pay transparency laws, a minimum living wage, measures to formalize informal work, collective bargaining agreements on equal pay, and family-friendly workplace policies.

Pay transparency laws have been proposed as a key tool to close the gender pay gap. What are the main challenges in pushing for their adoption, and how can trade unions overcome these?

The main challenges in advocating for pay transparency laws often stem from employers’ resistance, as they frequently perceive such laws as imposing additional administrative burdens and costs. As cited in the ILO study “Pay transparency legislation: Implications for employers’ and workers’ organizations,” trade unions have identified “cultural norms and social mindsets,” “the role of management,” and “the lack of a level playing field” as significant barriers to implementing pay transparency legislation.

Trade unions can overcome these challenges by campaigning around the benefits of pay transparency for both workers and employers, educating workers about pay transparency and how trade union representatives can effectively negotiate for it, and engaging in social dialogue. Demonstrating successful examples from countries that have implemented pay transparency laws can further support these efforts.

The care sector is predominantly staffed by women, yet it is often undervalued. What strategies are trade unions employing to ensure decent wages and conditions for women in the care sector?

Trade unions are stepping up their efforts to ensure that workers in the care sectors – in particular those most vulnerable to inadequate protection, such as domestic workers, migrant care workers and community health and care workers - can effectively access and exercise their rights to join a union and bargain collectively. These actions are recognized as the most effective way to achieve decent work.

The landmark ILO Resolution on Decent Work and the Care Economy, adopted by governments, employers, and workers in June 2024, highlights the interconnectedness of decent work, gender equality, quality care provision, just transition, sustainable development, and the care economy. This resolution provides important guidance for further action that trade unions can take to ensure decent wages and improved working conditions in the care sector.

During the Beijing+30 Review Meeting, you mentioned the ILO's 5R framework. How can governments and unions effectively implement this framework to address unpaid and underpaid care work?

A concrete example of the 5R Framework’s application, particularly the 4th and 5th Rs - Reward for care workers and Representation of care workers – can be seen in Australia. In March 2024, the Fair Work Commission, Australia’s workplace relations tribunal, issued a landmark decision for assistants in nursing and other aged care workers. Acknowledging that all the jobs in the sector were undervalued, the commission ordered basic pay rises of up to 28.5 percent.

This decision was a significant victory for trade unions, including the Health Services Union (HSU) and the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF), which brought the case before the Fair Work Commission. It also marked a substantial step forward for many employees in this predominantly female sector.

What steps should governments and unions prioritize to create universal, gender-sensitive social protection systems?

According to the outcome document of the 4th ITUC World Women’s Conference, governments should focus on establishing sustainable and gender-responsive social protection systems to achieve adequate social protection for all. Priorities should include: aligning policies with ILO Standards and the ILO Centenary Declaration; closing the gender gap in social protection through public investments in the care economy and the promotion of decent jobs; recognizing adequate credit care periods in contributory social protection systems to maintain contribution levels; providing paid maternity and parental leave to foster a more equal division of care responsibilities between parents; developing national social protection floors, including basic pensions and minimum unemployment benefits, with universal coverage for women in precarious and informal work; establishing a global social protection fund for the least wealthy countries; promoting social dialogue in the creation and implementation of gender-transformative social protection schemes; and ensuring adequate funding for gender-responsive social protection reforms through progressive national tax systems.

As Chair of the Women's Committee, what are your top priorities for addressing gender inequalities in the workforce in the coming years?

The top priorities of the PERC Women’s Committee for 2025-2026 include promoting the ratification and effective implementation of ILO Convention 190 to eradicate gender-based violence and harassment in the workplace; advocating for the adoption of ILO conventions on non-discrimination, occupational health and safety, social protection, maternity protection, and domestic workers; supporting the development of new international labour standards; calling for sustainable public investments in the care economy to address the dual role of women as the majority of care workers and primary recipients of care services; and championing equal pay for work of equal value and women’s effective labour force participation which are key to ensure a decent, safe, equal and just world of work.