INTERNATIONAL Women’s Day was marked around the maritime and logistics industry in yesterday.
In Sydney, the Supply Chain and Logistics Association of Australia hosted its annual industry networking breakfast.
The event featured two keynote speakers: Jody McKay, national chair of the Australia India Business Council and former NSW politician (who spoke about Australia-India bilateral relations) and Sarah Liu, founder and managing director of diversity consultancy company Dream Collective.
SCLAA chair Sue Tomic opened the gathering and said the theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is “embrace equity”.
She went on to highlight that there are still serious issues in Australia, such as a persistent gender pay gap.
“So how do we fix it? Well, we embrace equity. It’s not just an International Women’s Day tagline. It should be something that we think about all the time. It’s how do we make things fair and just? How do we provide opportunities,” she asked
“It should not be limited to gender. It’s all encompassing, cultural backgrounds, age, nationality.”
Later in the event, the Dream Collective’s Ms Liu spoke about how diversity shouldn’t be just about getting a diverse workforce in the door, it needs to include advancing diverse role models to higher roles within an organisation.
She said breaking down a “visual barrier” is important in fostering diversity in a workforce.
Ms Liu said if someone sees people like themselves in higher-level roles, they know they too can have a similar career progression.
“[It’s about] getting internal capability to make sure that you are actually advancing and developing existing internal female talent that you’re actually investing in so that you have an internal visual role models,” she said.
Elsewhere, in the industry tugboat operator Svitzer published a statement acknowledging the day that celebrates the “social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women” and “marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity”.
“At Svitzer, we see the recognition of International Women’s Day as an important step toward creating and sustaining a diverse and inclusive workplace,” the company said.
“It’s an opportunity to stop, to learn from, reflect upon and celebrate the diversity among us.”
Svitzer said it is proud of offering opportunities to women with a diverse range of backgrounds, but there is much more to do and to go.
“We have many inspirational women working across Svitzer – demonstrating the variety of roles possible within the business and across the maritime industry,” the company said.
“An industry where women are vastly under-represented, but the opportunity for a new career – and career development – on the shore and on the water is possible.”
Meanwhile, the International Transport Workers’ Federation said it is committed “to not just going back to how things were pre-pandemic, but to build a fairer, more just world. We will build that better world for all workers, but it cannot be done without women workers at its heart”.
The ITF said women are critical in the heavily male-dominated maritime industries of seafaring, fishing and dock work.
“The ITF is committed to properly integrating women into these industries, along with the rights, respect and dignity to which they and all workers are deserving of, regardless of sex or gender,” the federation said.
“A lot of progress has been made, but there is still a long way to go. This is why the ITF has identified nine key demands of employers, governments and investors, to ensure a new, gender equal, normal. These demands are: women on all decision-making bodies; Income and social protection; access to sanitation and appropriate PPE; secure work; care before profit; end violence and harassment against women; new technology to benefit women workers; gender impact assessments; and gender-responsive economic stimulus.
ITF Women Transport Worker’s Committee chair Diana Holland said,“Day in, day out, women transport workers risk their lives to get to and from work, face violence and harassment on the job, and bring home less money than their male counterparts at the end of the day. Women transport workers are too often undervalued and underrepresented even within our own movement. There can simply be no movement for workers’ rights and justice that does not have the voices and interests of these women workers at its very heart.
“But that struggle for the rights and conditions of women transport workers cannot just be left to women themselves. This challenge requires every affiliate and every member – especially the men – to step up and champion it. The prize, for us all, isn’t just safer and more equitable working lives, but a stronger movement as well.”
ITF general secretary Stephen Cotton said International Women’s Day is a reminder that the fight for women’s rights in the workplace and society is a year-round struggle – not a one-day event.
“The ITF is absolutely committed to eradicating the scourge of sexism and gender-based violence; from employers and governments of course, but also from within our own movement,” he said.
“We have a lot, rightly, to be proud of, but we also know we have further to go – and today is a day for recommitting to going all the way.”
