Women Solidarity Network
Mandate
The Women’s Solidarity Network (WSN) is the Women’s Committee of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) and is open to all members of the IFPTE.
WSN was formed to support our union in our fight for fairness and equality for all workers. WSN is a vehicle to inspire, highlight, demonstrate, educate, share and enlighten everyone on challenges that women from all intersections face in the workplace and in society.
The mandate of the Women’s Solidarity Network is to:
To unite women members for the purpose of addressing their concerns and issues
To promote women's involvement and recognition within their locals
To strengthen solidarity within the union
About
The Women’s Solidarity Network is IFPTE’s Women’s Committee. It was established during our 56th IFPTE Convention in 2009 where a resolution was brought forward to revamp previous efforts on this front.
The commitment to addressing women’s equality within our union can be traced back to the early 1990s. The leadership of IFPTE committed to make every attempt to incorporate issues specific to women members in our union through union conferences and seminars, the distribution of educational materials, and by having the federation lobby to promote legislation, in concert with other organizations, to support the advancement of women.
Since its creation, the WSN has been working to connect IFPTE women members together. For the first number of years, we’ve concentrated most of our energy towards developing a women’s program during IFPTE Convention years. Because of that ground-breaking work, a Women’s Forum is usually held providing education and discussion on women’s issues for all convention delegates. In 2015, a Women’s Caucus was added to the convention program, establishing a space for women delegates to gather and strategize for change.
In 2018, the WSN launched the Women & Unions International Conference Call Series. The initiative brings members together over the phone and online to learn about topics that center on addressing women’s social, political and economic justice. WSN brings together speakers from within IFPTE and forward-thinking organizations to create dynamic presentations that leave members informed and motivated to take action! The conference call series occurs twice a year and all IFPTE members are encouraged to participate.
The WSN operates through a Planning Committee which meets regularly throughout the year to plan events and programs. IFPTE members can join the WSN network by contacting us.
