Free menstrual products to be offered to workers on some public construction sites
Mollie Routledge (left) and Chandra Basil-Dugas of IBEW Local 993.
IT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO. PERIOD. Construction workers on some public construction projects won’t have to worry about not having menstrual products available, thanks to a new initiative by BC Infrastructure Benefits (BCIB), the Crown corporation managing workforce development. Earlier this year, BCIB became the first Crown corporation to join the United Way’s Period Promise, making the commitment to reduce period poverty, de-stigmatize menstruation, and help more people get access to the products they count on. “This commitment removes one of the barriers faced by people who menstruate. The products will be there when they need them, so they can focus on what they do best: building important public infrastructure,” said apprentice steamfitter Miranda Kurucz. Kurucz is a member of Build TogetHER, the women’s committee of the BC Building Trades, and a member of the United Association Local 170. The committee reached out to BCIB amid the current push to attract more women and other underrepresented groups into the skilled construction trades. Currently, women only represent about five per cent of the sector. “We have a skilled trades shortage, so there has been a push for some time to recruit people from underrepresented groups, including women,” said Mollie Routledge, a journey electrician with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 993 and member of Build TogetHER. “The more ways we can demonstrate that construction is welcoming to women, the more inclined they’ll be to consider a career in the sector.” Research by the United Way found that more than 20 per cent of people who menstruate missed work due to being
unable to access menstrual products. Meanwhile, 30 per cent of people who menstruate have had to leave work for the same reason. Menstruation, in fact, is one of the top two reasons that women miss work in Canada. BCIB signing the Period Promise to provide barrier-free menstrual products on construction sites also sends a critical message to the industry, notes Chelsea French, who co-chairs Build TogetHER and is a commercial transportation mechanic and member of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 115. “Menstruation is a biological function, not a women’s issue,” said French. “Removing these barriers helps destigmatize menstruation while being inclusive to all people who menstruate, including nonbinary people and trans men.” BCIB taking this step to embrace barrier-free access to menstrual products could have a profound impact across the construction sector, said the United Way’s Neal Adolph. “It signals that people who menstruate belong in the skilled trades, and have a right to learn the skills to build B.C. And furthermore, it’s the right thing to do, period.” Indeed, Build TogetHER is hopeful this is the start of a trend in the sector, with BCIB an early adopter of what will ultimately become common practice in construction. BCIB employs the skilled labour force on infrastructure projects built under B.C.’s Community Benefits Agreement, including the Pattullo Bridge replacement, the widening of Highway 1, the Broadway Subway and the Cowichan District Hospital replacement. Part of BCIB’s mandate is to create safe and respectful working environments. Pacific Blue Cross is the presenting sponsor of the United Way’s Period Promise campaign.
tradetalk BC Building Trades | 17
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker