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CHILE: Equal Opportunity Employers’ Seal of (E)quality

Daniela Estrada

SANTIAGO, Aug 16 2007 (IPS) - “Chile – Growing in Equality” is the name of the campaign launched by the government of Michelle Bachelet to advertise its programme “Iguala.cl”, aimed at certifying state and private companies that comply with gender equity standards for their employees.

The campaign for good employment practices, which was launched Tuesday, includes radio spots and advertising on public transport.

National Women’s Service (SERNAM) Minister Laura Albornoz described Iguala.cl as “an ethical programme aimed at bringing about equality between men and women, which we want companies to take up voluntarily.”

The project is in harmony with the Quito Consensus, signed by 33 countries at the 10th Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean, held Aug. 6-9 in the Ecuadorean capital, which was attended by Bachelet.

Only 35 percent of Chile’s workforce is made up of women, one of the lowest proportions in Latin America. And women’s wages are on average 20 to 50 percent lower than men’s.

The Global Competitiveness Report 2006-2007, by the World Economic Forum, ranks Chile 27th out of 125 countries studied, but when looking at women’s access to high-ranking positions in the world of work, Chile plunges to 110th place.

The Iguala.cl programme comprises three broad approaches. The first involves certification of public and private companies that voluntarily establish action plans and programmes for good employment practices based on gender equality.

The second part is employment services. SERNAM has already provided an Internet portal, http://www.iguala.cl, which helps women look for work. It is also creating a plan to motivate companies to open up to women areas of technical and professional work traditionally occupied by men.

It will also work with the main education and training centres to improve their technical and professional courses for young women, especially courses in which women have not traditionally taken part.

As its third line of action, SERNAM will support the rest of the government offices in complying with the Code of Good Employment Practices on Non-Discrimination for the Central State Administration, decreed by Bachelet in 2006, which is also being adopted by public and private companies.

Minister Albornoz told IPS that companies who wished to participate in the certification process should contact SERNAM to carry out a joint diagnosis of the company in seven areas.

These are: hiring of personnel, career development and access to training, gender balance in managerial positions, working conditions, respect for and protection of maternity rights, reconciliation of work responsibilities and family obligations, and preventive and disciplinary measures against sexual harassment and abuse of authority.

Once the state of each of these areas is known, the companies must design an improvement plan to be completed in two years, with advice from SERNAM. If the plan is carried out properly, the government will issue its “Iguala” seal to certify that the company conforms to gender equality standards.

“This will give companies huge social recognition,” said Albornoz.

“Similar models have been applied in Australia, Spain, Ireland and Germany. Within Latin America, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica and Uruguay have had successful experiences, and we are actually working on the certification model with them so that standards will be similar in countries in the region,” the minister said.

“This issue is also being negotiated with Australia, because it will form part of the free trade treaty that Chile will shortly be signing with that country,” she added.

The first company to adopt the Code of Good Employment Practices decreed by Bachelet was Chile’s leading business association, the Confederation of Production and Commerce (CPC), including its six productive branches, Albornoz said.

Two state companies, the National Copper Corporation (CODELCO) and the Banco Estado (State Bank), have also adopted the Code.

“In addition to CPC, CODELCO and the Banco Estado, 40 big companies will be signing an agreement with the government this month, committing themselves to participate in the good practices programme, with a view to receiving the gender equity seal in two years’ time,” Albornoz said.

In her opinion, the main difficulty that could arise in this process is “the companies’ enormous ignorance about the gender discrimination that currently exists.”

Iguala.cl is one of several government initiatives under way that seek to improve women’s access to the world of work. Other approaches range from the building of numerous public day care centres to a draft law reforming the pension system, which is currently being debated in Congress.

The draft law on pensions would provide a stipend per child to working women, and a pension for homemakers.

Another draft law would modify the Labour Code, protecting the right to equal pay. It was presented by 10 parliamentary deputies in July 2006, and seeks wage parity between men and women who do equivalent work.