The Female Labour Union
In rural China, discrimination on hiring female workers sometimes ,unfortunately, does exist. What often happens is that female workers are paid less than male workers, or simply do not get a job. This is certainly not the case here at Weifang. In fact we have a special female labour union to guarantee equal rights of all the female employees. Female worker are being paid the same amount as their male counterparts. This measure has been well received in the local community.
In rural China, discrimination on hiring female workers sometimes ,unfortunately, does exist. What often happens is that female workers are paid less than male colleagues, or simply do not get a job. This is certainly not the case here at Weifang. In fact we have a special female labour union to guarantee equal rights of all our female employees, for example they are being paid the same amount as their male counterparts. The union has been well received in the local community ever since the day it was established in 2003. At this moment we have around 120 union members.
The female labour union pays great attention to the health condition of our female employees. Therefore health checks are organized regularly by the company. Furthermore, the union gives female employees financial support for medical treatment as well as supplying special subsidies when they have to leave of absence from work due to illness.
When it comes to tasks, the heavy physical work is generally being performed by male workers and women take care of packing and other post-harvesting activities.
Another important element for the female labour union is the fact that we to protect the legal rights of female employees. For example, the women workers will not lose their jobs for maternity leave, as sometimes the case with other farms. In addition, we have also recently added a maternity insurance for every female employee, to guarantee their income and health care during their maternity leave.
We also regularly organize workshops and meetings to educate and inform our female employees on their legal rights. For example, one of the themes we discuss is sexual discrimination.
Ms.Guo from the packing station told us this:
Ms. Guo: “ The female employee union has been helping me in many different ways ever since I joined the company 3 years ago. The union not only guarantees my income, but also educate us on how to protect ourselves legally. I am really thankful for their help. An added benefit of the union is that it brings all of us closer. We often organize dinner parties, gathering and other social activities together! “
