The STPS redoubles its efforts in support of the working woman

Between January and June, the Secretary of Labour and Social Security (STPS) promoted the signing of 13 agreements aimed at improving the labour conditions of women in Mexico, and it also collabourated in more than 40 publicity events and distributed more than 65 thousand letters about labour rights and obligations.

Through the General Bureau of Equity and Gender, the Secretary is running a permanent campaign to eliminate discrimination against women in the labour ambit, and in the framework of this activity it subscribed to 13 agreements in the first half of the year. The outstanding agreements are those with different employers' associations in the state of Aguascalientes, with the government of Sonora, with enterprises in Coahuila, and in Durango with associations of women in business.

With these agreements, the STPS is seeking to promote an improvement in women's labour conditions in that they should not be required to take a non-pregnancy test as a condition to be contracted for employment, nor have to prove that they use contraception in order to be able to retain their employment. The STPS is also promoting programs about family responsibilities and breast feeding.

Besides this, information was sent to various government departments, to STPS offices and delegations, to the National Women's Institute (Inmujeres) and to different enterprises, on the subject of Sexual Harassment, Breast Feeding, STPS Programs, the Normative Framework of the Working Woman, and Women and the New Labour Culture.

Among the 40 events, mention should be made of participation in the IV National Meeting of Inmujeres work in Sinaloa and in the V Women's Parliament in the Congress of the Union.
One of the activities of this program was the distribution of more than 6,500 letters containing the rights and obligations of the working woman in the whole country through the Federal Delegations of Labour, departments, and other institutions.

With the objective of spreading equal opportunity, 19,000 posters were distributed to public and private institutions and bodies in civil society on the subjects of the valuation of women's work and non-pregnancy certification.

Efforts have also been made in the area of training. For this, a manual was prepared that focuses on the gender perspective with the vision of the New Labour Culture, and 20 Federal Delegates of Labour and 20 heads of State Employment Services have already been trained.

CHILDREN AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

In the first half of this year the General Bureau of Equity and Gender also put on the First Forum on Child Labour in Mexico about reports of the results of the follow up to Agreement 182 of the International Labour Organization. This contained a report on the child employment situation and the action taken on this by the Mexican government, and proposals were made for preventing, dealing with and abolishing child labour.

This effort also involved the launching of a campaign to prevent and fight against child labour, and 12,000 posters, 320 transfers and 187 triptychs were distributed.

A campaign was also undertaken for the diffusion and promotion of the labour rights and obligations of indigenous workers. This was mounted in Spanish and in 32 indigenous languages.
More than 24,000 letters in indigenous languages dealing with labour rights were sent in the states where these groups live, and 23,000 posters were distributed in Diconsa shops (the Distributor of the National Campaign for Popular Subsistence) so as to make known the labour rights and obligations of day labourers and indigenous people.

 

Source: Bulletin 102 / 05 of August 2003 http://www.stps.gob.mx/index2.htm

 

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