| Work Detail |
Agreements of the Ministry of Public Works with Uocra and the Argentine Chamber of Construction
Meeting of the Gender and Diversity Network of the Ministry of Public Works (Source: Ministry of Public Works)
Meeting of the Gender and Diversity Network of the Ministry of Public Works. Image: Ministry of Public Works
Pamela Ochoa worked cleaning houses and in a bar. She is now a construction worker. She handles a grinder, a hammer, a backhoe. “I had no idea about all this and I was learning. “I am proud of myself,” she says. Pamela worked on the extension of the sewage network of the Buenos Aires municipality of Alberti as part of a cooperative contracted by the National Entity for Hydraulic Sanitation Works (ENOHSA). In Córdoba, Yoko Suárez was hired in the central laboratory, in district 2 of that province of National Highways. She entered in compliance with the Trans Quota Law and is dedicated to analyzing the material samples used by contractors to control that they comply with the percentage of asphalt, lime and other materials as indicated in the bidding documents. She never imagined having a registered job. “Personally, financially, in a lot of ways it fills me with emotions,” she says. Daniela Cardozo is 29 years old, and is one of the surveyors who are working on the construction of the San Javier – Tostado aqueduct, one of the most important water works in the province of Santa Fe. Like them, more and more women and diversities have become involved. incorporated in the last two years into public works – a historically masculinized field – as a result of the policy of the Ministry of Public Works of the Nation, headed by Gabriel Katopodis, of mainstreaming the gender perspective in hiring. This is an innovative initiative, which is being implemented through agreements with the Construction Workers Union (UOCRA) and the Argentine Chamber of Construction (CAMARCO), which includes everything from investment in care infrastructure to demands on companies hired that do not have food debtors on their board, highlights María Pía Vallarino, in charge of gender policies at the MOP.
“Since 2020, the MOP established gender equity as one of the guiding values ??of management, so that infrastructure projects address the needs of women and the LGBTI+ population, and to promote equality and the reduction of gaps in all areas. instances of execution of Public Works,” says the official. In addition, the MOP established Care Infrastructure as one of its four management axes. One in 10 works aimed in this management to expand coverage and strengthen existing services in areas of health care, childhood, gender, youth, older people and those with disabilities. It was established that 8.5 percent of the MOP budget be dedicated to this axis. In 2022 the investment reached 9 percent.
–How did you begin to incorporate the gender perspective into the MOP? –This newspaper asked Vallarino.
–The first actions consisted of creating the Gender and Diversity Network with representatives from all areas and unions, training staff through the Micaela Law and developing protocols to address violence, within the framework of collective labor agreements. Today we have 8 gender areas within the 12 institutions that are part of the MOP. At the same time, it was constantly promoted to increase the participation of women and LGBTI+ both within state organizations and in the private sector, for which manuals and recommendations were also made with the technical assistance of UN Women and the United Nations Office. United Nations Project Services (UNOPS). For the public sector, gender gap analyzes were carried out, work was done to make visible and highlight women and LGBTI+ who occupy tasks and roles, and improvements in working conditions were promoted both in licenses with a focus on co-responsibility and in creating new spaces. breastfeeding, to give some examples – the official explained.
To work with the private sector, the MOP signed an agreement with CAMARCO and UOCRA. And established incentives to promote the incorporation of women and diversities in construction.
“We modified the specifications including non-sexist language; asking companies to report on their gender-disaggregated workforce and gender policies; that they have personnel trained in gender; In the event of a tiebreaker, companies that incorporate trans people are prioritized; the adoption of the Ministrys Code of Ethics is required – which includes commitments on gender equality; Compliance with bathrooms for all people is reinforced; as well as a report is requested in case of shortages in clothing, footwear or work items that meet the different characteristics of the population; Affidavits are required regarding the composition of the board free of food debtors and the commitment to incorporate women and LGBTI+ or collaborate in their formation,” Vallarino indicated.
–How much has the participation of women in the sector increased?
–It is somewhat complex to determine. The data reported by the Ministry of Labor does not have disaggregation by gender. The works have a cycle and the hired personnel are not necessarily included from start to finish – due to the technical and operational needs of the work at all times. It must be considered that in addition to registered employment there is a quantity of informal employment, that is to say that all reports under-record the real number of workers – as is often the case with cooperatives. In any case, I can say that in all the organizations dependent on the MOP, that is, considering State workers, almost 30 percent of women have been reached, in contrast to 27 percent in 2020, while it is estimated that, In the private sector, it is between 5 and 7%, when historically it was around 2 or 3 percent.
“My dad told me why I didnt study a career for women, he told me to study Architecture for example. “He told me that this was a mans world,” recalls Nancy Hornus, a civil engineer, 49 years old and more than 20 years of experience in the sector, who has headed the Equity Commission of the Argentine Chamber of Construction since June 2022. . Hornus is part of the board of directors of a family business from Entre Ríos. In dialogue with Página 12, she points out that 95 percent of construction companies are family-owned. “Generally the father and brother go to the camera and the women stay working in the company,” she describes. Historically, she noted, CAMARCO has been a masculinized chamber. However, she highlights that in two it was achieved that 25 percent of CAMARCOs provincial delegations were headed by women. “Before they were all men,” she noted. “The support from the MOP was fundamental for this change,” she added.
Women are useless, they dont know, its not the job for them, these are some of the prejudices that often still hover over the construction industry. From the UOCRA they have been developing workshops and training, training courses in trades for women and diversities, and so that the work spaces are safe and free of violence, Paula Martinez, from UOCRA Women, told this newspaper. "Although in Argentina and in the world construction is an almost exclusively male industry, the massive incorporation of women into the world of work is one of the lines of action proposed by our union organization," she said.
At the closing of the Strengthening Day for Construction with a Gender Perspective, which took place on October 5 at the UMET, with the participation of the MOP, CAMARCO and the UOCRA, workers, businesswomen, professionals and union members shared experiences and received training in more than 16 workshops. At the close of the meeting, the unions Secretary of Organization, Ruben Pronotti, said about the women. “The argument of physical force no longer serves to explain why they are not incorporated.” And later he added: “We know the impact that access to decent employment has on the lives of working women and their families. The companions tell us that they can support their families, many are heads of household, that they can improve their homes, guarantee better conditions for their sons and daughters than they had, even remove themselves from situations of violence through economic independence. and the self-esteem that employment gives them.”
There is still a lot to go. Women and diversities are still scarce in public works. But at least the path towards the transformation of the sector has begun. Lets hope it doesnt get cut. |
