Sinigang Sundays: WORK & LABOUR
Work, work, work, work -Rihanna
The Sinigang Sundays crew got together on April 17, 2016 to discuss WORK & LABOUR. A wide range of topics came up related to racism we face in the workplace, mental health barriers, unemployment and stereotypes that we have to overcome.
The filipinas present brought a diverse range of perspectives as women who have experiences in hospitality, childcare, education, immigration, academia and working in the arts. Here are some of the words that we used to describe our experiences working in Canada.
As filipina women, we pick up on the ways that we are stereotyped as being inherently accommodating, submissive and built to provide domestic labour. Because of this, we are exploited as workers and much of our work is invisibilized and devalued. We talked about how we are expected to perform emotional labour and go above and beyond at work.
We discussed experiences under Canada’s Caregiver Program (previously called the Live-in Caregiver Program-LCP), whereby filipina women are overwhelming recruited to provide childcare and elder care in Canada. We condemn this program as Modern Slavery and have been clear on our stance to scrap the program for over two decades. Don’t forget, our Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, has a filipina nanny! The program continues to allow filipina women to be degraded and abused as servants to middle and upper class Canadians. In truth, Canada needs to implement universal childcare that will liberate all women and caregivers.
We, as progressive filipina women, will continue to push back against inequality and systems that seek to devalue our labour. Building community and knowing our rights are both major steps to living as empowered filipina women on unceded coast salish territories.
Quote of the day: “Our working class-ness brings us together!”- Qara performed “Why the Working Class?”
If you have been meaning to make it out to SINIGANG SUNDAYS, our feminist filipina hangout, our next gathering will be MAY 1, 2016! We will be making signs and demonstrating for MAY DAY, International Workers Day. Of course, we will need some sinigang in our bellies before we march together.
Please RSVP as soon as possible for more details at pwcofbc@gmail.com.
The Philippine Women Centre of BC 