Many Different Ways- Course on Women in Trade Union Leadership

As the head of the division, she is in charge of all educational programs for Eastern and Central Europe and the CIS countries. I became interested why, for instance, would somebody, well acquainted with the state of affairs in the post-communist countries, invite women from the "most emancipated country in the world," as the Soviet propaganda used to put it, to participate in an International Course on Women in Trade Union Leadership, which was held from October 29 until November 19, 1995, at the International Institute in Beit Berl near Kfar Saba.

No other country (the former USSR) could boast having so many women in medicine, engineering, science, culture and management. To be sure, not many were seen in the highest ranks of power, but they stood quite high in the hierarchy of leadership, holding many positions in management in all spheres of the public economy. And the representation of women in all fields of social life by far exceeded the numbers of their counterparts even in the most advanced Western countries, Israel not excluded.

What can Israel offer to these women in the field of Leadership of Trade Unions?

Says Maya Glasserman: "Eastern Europe is going through a transitional period after communism. Israel is a very suitable model of a mixed economy and a socially orientated society. The social achievements in Eastern Europe were really impressive. Now they need to try not to lose them on their way to a free market economy.

"They can learn from the Israeli experience, that freedom does not mean anarchy, that not all forms of communal or cooperative structures must be abandoned, that there is a practical possibility of creating a mixed economy.

"These things can be seen and learned in other countries too, but here these people have the opportunity to do so in their own language. Israel is a country where you can communicate in practically any language. All our programs are highly individual. We tailor them accordingly to the needs of every group."

She adds: "Here they learn that you can build a country out of nothing. And do so in one generation. Here they can gain hope. They ask me: How could you achieve all this, what is the secret of the 'Israeli miracle'? I answer: 'Hard work and the love for your country.'"

The participants of the course confirmed Maya's view. Klara Kamilova is the Chief of the Central Committee of the Trade Union of Consumers' Cooperatives in Uzbekistan. She felt that meeting with her colleagues from 16 countries was very productive. The most interesting issue discussed in the course of her stay in Beit Berl was, in her opinion, collective agreements. And the history of Israel.

Tatyana Wishnevskaja is the Vice President of the Committee of the Chemistry Workers' Trade Union of Russia. She said that there is a drop in the number of available jobs in Russia. Unemployment is a completely new problem to the Russians. And women are losing their jobs at a much faster rate than men do. So discussions of the possible ways to combat this problem were helpful.

Galina Krasnova of Belarus said that in her country women earn only 2/3 of the wages men earn in the same field. Women are also under-represented in the higher managerial structures. Krasnova puts her hopes in the Women's Party "Nadezda" ("Hope" in Russian) and points out, that the Head of the Party participated in the previous course at the Institute.

Alice Luchian is a Vice President of the Trade Union Federation in Romania. In her opinion Romanian women are much more involved in management now than they were 5 years ago. But the trend paradoxically points to the opposite direction. Fewer and fewer Romanian women want to work outside their homes and take responsibilities. They feel tired of social responsibilities and are more willing to spend more time with their families. The percentage of women involved in leadership is falling.

Rosa Mirzojan from Armenia expressed her appreciation for the lecturers. In her opinion the course was highly professional and gave her a deeper understanding of how problems can be defined and overcome. The first thing she is going to propose back home is to urge the government to discuss a Bill of Wages. Armenia does not have this legislation and Mirzojan learned during the course of it's importance.

Kristina Krulavichene, from Lithuania, is upset by the chauvinistic upbringing of her country's men, who willingly invite women to take their seat on a bus, but by no means approve of women's efforts to take a place beside them in management. Krulavichene thinks that the only way to settle this problem is through education.

Vaclava Shkvarova, from the Czech Republic, is active in the Textile and Sewing Trade Union of her country. She feels that in almost all fields of social security the state of affairs in her country is better than in other post-Soviet countries and in Israel. For example, Czech women can stay at home and care for their children for up to four years - the first year at full pay and the subsequent three years on a special allowance from the government. Society in her country cares very much about the upbringing of children and this item is very high in the Czech Republic's priorities. Women are full partners in discussing these matters, says Shkvarova, and they willingly participate in the national effort.

This brief but exciting encounter with the participants in the course shows that the post-Soviet world is as variable as the whole of Europe, or the whole of Asia. The problems of Lithuanian women are different from the problems of their colleagues in neighbouring Belarus, and Romania is more similar in this aspect to the Czech Republic than to Russia. But every participant in this course gained something from her stay in Israel. The course provided them with a different perspective and enriched them with the knowledge of how things are done in Israel.