Editor’s Note:
Asia’s labour movements have a gender problem. Women organisers and leaders are often doubly burdened with domestic and reproductive labour, while expending time and performing much of the emotional labour in the labour movement. Emotion of Labour is a new collective that is interested in addressing the gendered nature of labour in the labour movement and building a more equal and democratic movement. We spoke with them about their origin, the focus of their current work, and the issues tackled in their new zine.
Asian Labour Review (ALR): First of all, congratulations on publishing your first zine. You describe yourself as “a collective of women labour activists in Asia”. Can you tell us about the origin of this collective?
Emotion of Labour (EOL): The collective came about because, as women labour activists working mostly in East Asia and Southeast Asia, we’ve observed that many women face barriers in engaging with the labour movement, not limited to the fact they are often expected to take up domestic responsibilities and reproductive labour.
In our first collective meeting, we described the need for the collective as it arises from challenges we have faced and observed in the field, such as being marginalised and spoken over based on gender roles and stereotypes, and also how those same stereotypes can actually be used as strengths in the labour movement that we envision. Instead of women needing to change to combat our marginalisation, what if the labour movement recognises our strengths for labour advocacy and organising?
For example, because of the ways that many of us were socialised as individual women, it can be difficult to speak up for ourselves in the workplace. We also face expectations to pay attention to the emotions and needs of others above our own. As a result, many women in our movement have shown an incredible capacity to perceive injustice, empathise with others, and powerfully speak up on others’ behalf in the workplace. How can we harness that and other strengths that women have in creating a labour movement that meets the needs of all workers?
Through our collective, we’re hoping to build a more inclusive and democratic labour organising space in Asia by establishing a community of women labour activists who can support each other, identify common challenges, and celebrate our innate characteristics as strengths. We want to imagine new forms of organising, advocating and mobilising workers that are appealing to and inclusive of everyone. To do this, we must challenge the power structures that cause the marginalisation of certain groups in the labour movement.
ALR: Why do you call yourself “Emotion of Labour”?
EOL: Emotion of Labour is a play on the phrase “emotional labour.” Women have long been expected to provide care and concern for those around them, meeting others’ emotional needs before their own. Emotional labour describes this unpaid, invisible labour that is disproportionately carried out by women across society, including the workplace and even within the field of labour organising itself. For example, when organising workers or communities, it is common for exclusively women to provide psychosocial support. When attending union meetings, it is women preparing food and beverages and taking notes.
Our collective name recognises that the emotions emerging out of our work can be a powerful force in creating a new model of organising and worker representation. Being vulnerable within a safe and supportive environment can be a way to connect to each other, identify problems and solutions, and build trust to work together. We recognise that sometimes, talking about emotions can be perceived as weak. But talking about our feelings is a pathway to learning more and finding solutions to labour rights problems. The human stories that are revealed through inquiring about our emotions are not a weakness or something to be dismissed in our work. Instead, they can be part of the strength of the movement, and we can embrace them and reclaim our collective power through them.
ALR: And why in the form of a zine?
EOL: The zine came about because we wanted a creative way to introduce our collective to the world, use it to reach a broader audience with our messaging, and create a space to amplify the voices, perspectives and experiences of women labour activists and organisers. To be as inclusive as possible and recognise that we each have a unique way of sharing our perspectives and experiences, we wanted our zine to be accessible to contributors and readers alike. For instance, in our first zine, one contribution visually maps how a woman worker from Indonesia is bodily and psychologically affected by her labour and work environment, unlocking some insights and information about the labour process and occupational health hazards in the factory.
Zines can also be easily printed and distributed among the community. Ours is in both printed and digital format. None of us had made a zine before, and we are happy with our do-it-yourself effort, proving that the medium is truly accessible. While the zine is currently in English, we envision the zine being translated and adapted to reach audiences of labour activists and workers in the region. If readers wish to translate the zine and disseminate it to their communities, we can provide text-free templates and collaborate and support this work in other ways. Feel free to reach us on Instagram or Gmail.
ALR: The first story in the zine is an interview with an Indonesian woman migrant worker organiser in Hong Kong. What are some of the unique challenges of women organisers as women and migrant workers?
EOL: Women migrant workers are not only marginalised due to gender stereotypes, but migrant workers can also face threats of deportation and termination of employment for organising and participating in rights defence activities, especially if the police arrest them. Many workers choose to migrate to other countries to seek employment and for higher wages, so potential termination and deportation will no doubt impact migrant workers’ livelihoods. Many migrant workers are also unaware of their legal rights as stipulated by local laws, and there are language barriers as well.
In the interview, the organiser was organising Indonesian migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong who rely on employment agencies for work. She mentions that early on, they faced challenges in organising because employment agencies instilled fear in workers, diminishing their sense of self and yelling and scolding workers for being ungrateful. This fear stems from and draws on the political situation back home in Indonesia. The agencies also use “divide and conquer” tactics, dividing workers from different ethnicities who are employed in domestic work and pitting them against each other. For the organiser, breaking this fear through educating workers about their legal rights is important.
ALR: You featured another interview with a labour rights activist working at a labour rights organisation. Tell us about how you understand the role of emotions in labour rights activism and in the workplace, and the marginalisation of women activists in the labour movement.
EOL: This interview with an anonymous researcher encompasses what it is like to be a minority woman labour rights activist in a male-dominated sector, namely, the lack of career support and lack of constructive feedback, leading to imposter syndrome and burnout. However, the interviewee describes finding feminine support through an unlikely workplace friendship with the interviewer. Through this interpersonal process, she built up confidence in herself and changed the entire team dynamics at her workplace. In addition to emotions showing up in the workplace, this newly empowered activist also describes how her emotions have led her to better understand the workers whose rights she studies, making her a more capable researcher and advocate. Her transformation is exactly what Emotion of Labour seeks to embody on a broader scale.
ALR: What are some of the other issues and themes you would like to take up in your zine? What’s next for the project?
EOL: We’re hoping to have forthcoming zines focusing on specific emotions and what they mean for workers in the workplace. We also want to explore traditionally framed women’s rights issues, such as gender-based discrimination and sexual harassment, in a way that rejects the traditional power structures that contribute fundamentally to these issues.
In early September, we organised an online closed-door sharing session with women labour activists around Asia, and we have already seen how this event has led to participants feeling more empowered and confident in their skills and abilities, and their place in the movement. The space was dedicated entirely to hearing from women and showing each other support in a protected environment, and many attendees had never experienced that in the movement before. We’re planning to host more online meetings and discussions for participants to discuss how they are organising, especially with women workers, and connect with one another across the region.
