Martlé Keyter
National Co-ordinator MISA Women’s Forum
In August 2009, MISA launched a Women’s Forum with the following main objectives:
- To raise general awareness and to increase the understanding of gender equality issues in the “world of work”;
- To increase women’s economic and financial independence and decision-making;
- To address issues relating to pregnancy, balancing work and family life, to promote flexibility in working conditions and enhancing social benefits;
- To address issues on access to education and training;
- To assist women to live above expectations to society;
- To establish social dialogue between MISA, female members and employers, to address conditions of employment through collective bargaining;
- To assist and train women in non-traditional work roles;
- To identify obstacles for women workers to join trade unions; and
- To build alliances with other women organizations.
Through MISA, women invest in skills, knowledge and lifelong learning. We are the vanguard of basic workers’ rights and carry the obligatory responsibility to adequately protect and promote the interests of women in the workplace. As a trade union, MISA is a leader in the quest for a more just and decent society in which our members can control their own destiny.