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Parallel Session 10.2
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| Presentations | |
Challenging the Automation Premise and Gender Injustice: Stories from Women Workers in the Construction, Ready-Made Garment and Shoe Industries in India, Bangladesh and Indonesia Technological shifts, particularly the rise of digitalisation, present formidable challenges for the future work landscape and its workers. The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) coupled with the rapid shift to automation has led to widespread job losses, dramatically impacting the construction, ready-made garment and shoe industries in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, and those still evolving. Specific job categories are steadily disappearing, threatening to become relics of the past, displacing countless workers who may find it challenging to adapt and embrace new skills. With the winds of change blowing strongly, the International Labour Organization (ILO) (2018) highlights an already troubling scenario: a scarcity of employment opportunities for women and young people. As we look ahead, the looming advent of automation and robotics may further complicate the quest for decent and fulfilling work for all. Job loss has hit hardest in countries positioned at the lower tiers of the global supply chain. In emerging economies, particularly throughout the vibrant Asia-Pacific region, the rapid integration of robotics between 2005 and 2014 sparked a staggering 14% decline in jobs across traditional industries. Comparatively, developed nations saw a mere 1% reduction in employment during the same timeframe (Carbonero et al., 2018). Moreover, the wave of automation has intensified the challenges women workers face, paving the way for precarious work and eroding wages. The labour landscape shifts dramatically as informal and casual work arrangements become the norm. In such an environment, workers' fundamental rights to organise, represent their interests and engage in collective bargaining risk being undermined or entirely obliterated. As a result, many women workers find themselves at the mercy of powerful corporations, stripped of protection and vulnerable to the relentless forces of capital and corporate dominance. The rise of digitalisation has negatively impacted the lives of women workers, intensifying issues such as discrimination, exploitation, violence, and intrusive monitoring. A notable illustration of this is automation—the shift where machines and robots assume roles previously held by humans. In a broader, concerning pattern, major multinational corporations (MNCs) have closed their Asian factories and opted to move production to other regions. There, the production landscape is quickly evolving, as tasks once handled by skilled workers are progressively assigned to efficient robots and advanced 3D printers, jeopardising jobs and the very foundation of communities closely linked to these sectors. This special session aims to share women workers narratives from women workers in the construction, Ready-Made Garment and shoe industries across Bangladesh, India, and Indonesia. It raises critical questions about the effects of automation on these women: How does the shift towards automation hinder decent work opportunities for grassroots women workers? In what ways do current neoliberal policies and global frameworks exacerbate the challenges and potential issues posed by automation? Furthermore, how can we develop new policies that address these emerging challenges and structural barriers, ensuring the protection of women's rights and the pursuit of decent work for all, including the rights to organise, Freedom of Association (FoA) and Collective Bargaining? Presentations of the Special Session Impact of Automation on Women Ready-Made-Garment Workers in Dhaka, Bangladesh This research paper examines how automation has transformed the highly feminised garment industry in Bangladesh while reproducing and deepening systemic inequalities. The study comprises three primary components: (1) workplace mapping, (2) activity clock, and (3) narratives and timelines: to provide a qualitative understanding of changes over time, the research generates narratives and timelines based on data gathered from women workers. Despite policies aimed at supporting women workers in this sector in Bangladesh, automation has made women workers vulnerable to exploitation. Automation has led to widespread job displacement, particularly among older women and those with limited technical skills and increased workloads without proportionately increasing wages and/or social security. In the garment industry, automation is accompanied by intense physical and mental exhaustion, especially for women, as they juggle domestic responsibilities after long shifts at the factory. For those who remain employed, increased production targets come without higher pay. Inadequate training for new technologies causes errors or slowdowns, which the management penalises. With cramped spaces and poor ventilation, unsafe working environments further complicate their situation. The study underscores gaps in policy implementation and focuses on how women workers have begun organising themselves. The paper concludes with recommendations, calling for urgent action from policymakers, industry stakeholders and labour rights organisations to ensure a fair and inclusive future for women workers. Building Futures: Automation and Gender Disparities in Ahmedabad’s Construction Industry, India The research paper investigates how automation transforms construction processes, labour market dynamics, tasks, and skills valuation. Its primary aim is to understand the broader implications of Construction 4.0 in India, particularly regarding women's work, skill development and gender relations. The study adopted qualitative methods for data collection gathered from different methods to understand the impact of automation on women workers in construction through case study, process mapping, Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and in-depth interviews with women leaders of the construction workers' collective. In the construction sector, women predominantly serve as "helpers" or "unskilled" labourers—such as stone crushers, concrete mixers, and load carriers—often under hazardous conditions and earning 30-40 per cent less than their male counterparts. Many women work at labour nakas and construction sites alongside their husbands in a system known as “Jodi,” both are hired as a couple, but the husband receives the wages for both. This Jodi-based employment obscures women's visibility as individual workers, and prevailing gender norms devalue their contributions from the recruitment stage onward. Women’s roles in construction are frequently perceived as merely supportive of skilled male workers, confining them to lifting and shifting tasks. Consequently, they are often denied advancement opportunities and are significantly less likely to progress to skilled positions than their male counterparts. In the context of automation, this gender disparity is expected to widen further. Organising Women Workers: Advancing Women's Labour Rights in the Automation Era in the Shoe Industry in Brebes, Indonesia In Brebes's shoe industry, women comprise the workforce whose dedicated efforts constitute the foundation of this thriving sector. Nevertheless, despite their crucial contributions, there is an urgent need for these women to rise into leadership positions within labour unions, especially at the company level. Female workers are frequently limited to the role of ordinary members, with their voices mostly resonating during labour union actions and protests. The study approached qualitative methods to gather information from women workers to understand the impact of automation on the shoe industry in Brebes, Indonesia. Through GSBI's union activities and storytelling with women factory workers' leaders, the study gained insights into how automation has affected precarious work and poverty wages. The research paper profoundly explores the complex issues of organising workers through a feminist perspective, providing a thorough and investigative examination. It aims to shed light on the diverse challenges women encounter in the workforce and to create targeted advocacy strategies for unions that effectively tackle potential risks while protecting workers' rights, particularly amid rising automation. By strengthening women workers to assume leadership positions, the initiative aspires to enhance their impact, allowing them to negotiate confidently with companies and interact with local governments in the evolving context of Brebes's shoe industry. | |