THE Zimbabwe Diamond Allied Minerals Workers Union (ZDAMWU) president Gracious Sibanda says recognising women’s participation in mining trade union activities is crucial, as they remain marginalised.
The mining industry is male-dominated, with women underrepresented in both the workforce and leadership positions.
This gender disparity has created barriers for women seeking to enter and advance in the sector.
“As ZDAMWU president, women participation in trade union activities is so crucial for they are the most affected by various unfair treatment which includes but not limited to gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH), sexism, discrimination, gender pay gap and gender blind personal protective equipment,” Sibanda told NewsDay Business.
“As mining is male-dominated, women in the mining industry suffer silently hence a call for their active participation is key and encouraging them to join the trade union involves several strategic actions.”
She said these strategies include organising workshops and seminars to inform women about the benefits of union membership.
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“Also, to create GBVH workshops so that they get to understand that as a trade union we also advocate for GBVH and sexism free environments,” Sibanda said.
Another strategy being pursued is to ensure that union meetings and activities are accessible to women, considering their schedules and responsibilities.
“In our case, we encourage women to take leadership roles, pushing for policies and practices that promote gender equality within the industry. As ZDAMWU, we have so far championed cases to do with the gender pay gap, this used to prevail in most Chinese companies,” Sibanda said.
The union’s efforts also involve working closely with various stakeholders, such as the Gender Commission and the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community and Small and Medium Enterprise Development to advocate for women’s issues.
“We have a legal team and have so far provided legal assistance to women facing discrimination or harassment. We have one such incident at Bikita Minerals,” Sibanda said.
ZDAMWU secretary general Justice Chinhema said the union was committed to the promotion of equality for both men and women.
“By creating safe space for female mine workers, we are encouraging them to network among themselves so as to speak out about their interests and rights. As the union has created a national women structure, regional and at branch level, it allows all female members across the country to speak with one strong voice,” Chinhema said.
“We have allowed our female members to contest for any position in the union and of the 11 elected national executive committee members five are female.”
Young Miners Foundation chief executive officer Payne Kupfuwa said it was important for women to group up and have their own programmes where they share experiences, insights and come up with solutions to increase their foothold in mining.