WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT THROUGH LABOR UNIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L MUSCAT 000306 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/MEPI (B. ORBACH),DRL (A. ANZALDUA),NEA/PD (D. BENZE) USTR FOR J. BUNTIN AND A. ROSENBERG DOL FOR J. SHEA, B. SHEPARD AND J. RUDE E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/27/2017 TAGS: PGOV PHUM ELAB KMPI MU SUBJECT: WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT THROUGH LABOR UNIONS REF: MUSCAT 72 Classified By: Ambassador Gary A. Grappo, reasons 1.4 b/d. ¶1. (C) Poloff and Post's MEPI Coordinator met March 24 with the lone female member of the General Federation for Oman's Laborers regarding her ideas to increase women's participation and voice in Oman's nascent labor unions. Aida Hashmya (protect),Assistant Training Manager at the Al Bustan Palace Hotel, said that women - who make up roughly 30% of Oman's total workforce - have at most 10 representatives in union leadership positions nationwide. In addition, Hashmya shared that these representatives complain that it is exceedingly difficult for them to advance women's workplace issues and concerns in the unions' male-dominated administrative bodies. She commented that she also feels marginalized by her 11 male colleagues in the General Federation. ¶2. (C) Giving women a stronger voice in Oman's labor movement is critical, Hashmya continued, because women workers have different challenges and priorities than men. Chief among their concerns are securing better maternity leave benefits, ensuring opportunities for advancement, and strengthening protections against harassment. Hashmya noted that many women have told her that they feel they have no advocates among union leaders, and that their male colleagues often do not take their issues seriously. She added that many of the women who could have been leaders in a campaign for improved conditions are quitting their jobs, often as a result of workplace challenges and the difficulty of balancing home and work commitments. Hashmya said that she hopes to reverse this trend by increasing women's participation in labor unions, focusing initially on raising awareness among Omani women in thousands of non-unionized, relatively low-wage factory jobs in the Rusail industrial area on the outskirts of Muscat. Hashmya stressed that despite the difficulties women face in pushing their agenda under the unions' current leadership structure, she believes that through effective organization, women can use labor unions as a platform to advance women's rights both on and off the job. ¶3. (C) Comment: Hashmya intends to pursue a MEPI small grant for a two-stage program to raise awareness among women about their new rights under Oman's labor laws, and to provide training in union organizing and leadership skills. Hashmya's initiative is a prime example of the potential power of labor unions in Oman to advance Post's larger democracy and women's empowerment agenda (reftel). Her comments and plans also reaffirm the need to focus USG resources, including MEPI funds and DOL programs, on ensuring the development and success of Omani labor unions. End Comment. GRAPPO