lgbti workers

When and how was SITRADOTRANS created?

SITRADOTRANS was founded in 2015 at the initiative of Yadira Carrillo, Secretary General since its foundation; Andrea Morales, President of FETRADOMOV; and me, Francia Blanco. We created it because we saw the need for an organization that would ensure labor rights and access to employment for transwomen. We realized that most transwomen in Nicaragua were engaged in domestic work and various trades, and that they did not have any protection. We discovered this reality by working closely with people with HIV. That eye-opening experience sparked an idea, and the idea become a union.

How many members does SITRADOTRANS currently have?

We have 200 members, and we are in full growth. In the recent months we have done a lot of activities to increase our membership in cities and departments of the country where we did not have a presence before.

What are the main activities carried out by the union and what are its goals?

One of the main activities of the union is the education and training of our members in matters of the legal framework, unionism, labor rights, conventions 189 and 190 and their recommendations. We are focused on getting Nicaragua to ratify C190 this year.

We also work intensively to form alliances with other civil society organizations, such as the International Organization for Migration, the FES, the CEPRESI (Center for the Prevention of AIDS), the Center for Research and Health Studies (CIES-UNAN), trans organizations such as ANIT and Reacción Joven (Young Reaction). Furthermore, we participate in international education fairs and in the International Alliance for Labor Rights of the LGBTI Community, composed of organizations from Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. We are currently conducting training with the Alliance on access to justice, labor rights, and employment.

The main objective of our union is to reach the largest number of trans and LGBTI domestic workers and those in various trades, with outreach throughout the country and with a projection of 300 members by the end of this year, not only empowering women affiliates in terms of training on rights, but also on advocacy. This year, we are strengthening our advocacy to put the issue of access to decent work by the trans community on the agenda of decision-makers, since the majority of transwomen in Nicaragua perform sex work or informal domestic work, as without rights, these become the only alternatives.

What is the situation of trans domestic workers in Nicaragua? How are they in relation to the labor rights of the rest of the workers?

Because of our transness, employers abuse us and do not respect our rights. The contracts are only verbal, and the exploitation is massive. We are a historically excluded population. If we do not make the authorities aware of this and we do not push for our situation to be put on the public agenda, the problem will never be solved. We are on that path.

Is there progress in terms of treatment and rights in the sector?

Yes, there are some advances. After so many advocacy actions, we are seeing that in the “maquilas”, production plants employing low-wage Latin American workers to assemble imports from the United States, transwomen can be employed and they are no longer forced to cut their hair, dress as men, and withhold from wearing makeup, that is, they are no longer forced to mutilate their identity to get a job. Now we see that they have begun to be valued for their capabilities. The maquila sector has been sensitized. It is also positive that decision makers are receiving us and listening to our demands, which did not happen before.

What challenges do you still have ahead?

The main challenge ahead of us is to achieve the trans labor quota in Nicaragua. Public institutions must give us a quota in their workforce as soon as possible. The other priority is the ratification of C190 in the country. This year is key, because in November there are presidential elections, which forces us to hurry and advocate not only with the current leaders, but also with the candidates. It is a dual duty, but it is worth fighting for our rights as citizens and workers. We are highly active with campaigns on social networks, as we create spots, videos, and publish success stories amplifying the lives of trans workers.

Tell us about your personal story and how you came to SITRADOTRANS.

I was born in the west of Chinandega, in Nicaragua, and at the age of 18 I emigrated to Guatemala, for family reasons and to discover my own identity. There I performed domestic work and fell into the hands of dishonest people, who exploited me at work. I spent two years confined in a house, where I worked without pay and under exploitative conditions.

After five years in Guatemala, I returned to my country, where I continued to do domestic work, but informally. They never formalized me, because there is a tendency to violate the human rights of trans people in Nicaragua. Thus, for a long time, I worked for less than half the minimum wage and without any other benefits. Necessity forced me, like so many other domestic workers in my condition, to give away my work in exchange of a meal.

It was then that I decided to start studying English, to train myself, and I also decided to get involved in union activities. I have collaborated with FETRADOMOV and SITRADOTRANS for three years, and today I feel like a more secure woman and capable of enforcing my rights.

What are your own personal and professional challenges and goals?

One of my main challenges on a personal level is to be able to finish my career in Social Work. As for my union activity, my greatest challenge is to make SITRADOTRANS known internationally, without ever losing focus on defending the labor and individual rights of trans workers. My other great objective is to sow this seed in younger workers, because I believe that generational renewal is essential in every union organization and movement.

What do you think are your strengths and your greatest contributions to SINTRADONTRANS?

My main strength is my leadership. I have been able to function well in different areas and with different audiences. I am versatile, hard-working, and positive. I believe that sisterhood and companionship are necessary in union work. On the one hand, I bring my experience and technical knowledge for fundraising and communications. And on the other hand, I believe that my own image is also a contribution to the organization and the movement, to raise awareness among the authorities, employers, and the general population. I am a living testimony, and I believe that we must build on this strength.

How do you see the situation of trans workers in the world in general?

Today, the effects of the pandemic are added to our historical situation of lack of protection and exploitation, which exacerbates unemployment and facilitates work in precarious conditions, without access to basic rights and without protection in terms of biosafety. To this we must add that the majority of trans women do not know their rights. We are a group doubly exposed to the ravages of the pandemic. The advocacy actions and training activities promoted by FETRADOMOV and SITRADOTRANS are something out of the ordinary. For the IDWF, we are an example of good practice, as no similar unions exist in the world to my knowledge. Internationally, we need to think of the possibility of "exporting" the work model to other countries or organizations, as we are a unique case in the world. This international positioning is also the result the IDWF recognition of us, increasing our visibility and amplifying the fact that we are workers, and we deserve access to work in decent conditions, with social security, a decent salary, and a safe and healthy work environment.

The lack of knowledge that some trans workers have about the legal framework that protects them in their countries and about international instruments leads us to reflect on the urgency to export the SITRADOTRANS model to the whole world and work with allied organizations from other countries on strategies according to each context. Knowledge is the basic tool in the fight for our rights.

Tell us about your personal story and how you came to SITRADOTRANS.

I was born in the west of Chinandega, in Nicaragua, and at the age of 18 I emigrated to Guatemala, for family reasons and to discover my own identity. There I performed domestic work and fell into the hands of dishonest people, who exploited me at work. I spent two years confined in a house, where I worked without pay and under exploitative conditions.

After five years in Guatemala, I returned to my country, where I continued to do domestic work, but informally. They never formalized me, because there is a tendency to violate the human rights of trans people in Nicaragua. Thus, for a long time, I worked for less than half the minimum wage and without any other benefits. Necessity forced me, like so many other domestic workers in my condition, to give away my work in exchange of a meal.

It was then that I decided to start studying English, to train myself, and I also decided to get involved in union activities. I have collaborated with FETRADOMOV and SITRADOTRANS for three years, and today I feel like a more secure woman and capable of enforcing my rights.

What are your own personal and professional challenges and goals?

One of my main challenges on a personal level is to be able to finish my career in Social Work. As for my union activity, my greatest challenge is to make SITRADOTRANS known internationally, without ever losing focus on defending the labor and individual rights of trans workers. My other great objective is to sow this seed in younger workers, because I believe that generational renewal is essential in every union organization and movement.

What do you think are your strengths and your greatest contributions to SINTRADONTRANS?

My main strength is my leadership. I have been able to function well in different areas and with different audiences. I am versatile, hard-working, and positive. I believe that sisterhood and companionship are necessary in union work. On the one hand, I bring my experience and technical knowledge for fundraising and communications. And on the other hand, I believe that my own image is also a contribution to the organization and the movement, to raise awareness among the authorities, employers, and the general population. I am a living testimony, and I believe that we must build on this strength.

How do you see the situation of trans workers in the world in general?

Today, the effects of the pandemic are added to our historical situation of lack of protection and exploitation, which exacerbates unemployment and facilitates work in precarious conditions, without access to basic rights and without protection in terms of biosafety. To this we must add that the majority of trans women do not know their rights. We are a group doubly exposed to the ravages of the pandemic. The advocacy actions and training activities promoted by FETRADOMOV and SITRADOTRANS are something out of the ordinary. For the IDWF, we are an example of good practice, as no similar unions exist in the world to my knowledge. Internationally, we need to think of the possibility of "exporting" the work model to other countries or organizations, as we are a unique case in the world. This international positioning is also the result the IDWF recognition of us, increasing our visibility and amplifying the fact that we are workers, and we deserve access to work in decent conditions, with social security, a decent salary, and a safe and healthy work environment.

The lack of knowledge that some trans workers have about the legal framework that protects them in their countries and about international instruments leads us to reflect on the urgency to export the SITRADOTRANS model to the whole world and work with allied organizations from other countries on strategies according to each context. Knowledge is the basic tool in the fight for our rights.

You can read the IDWF statement for Trans Visibility Day 2021 here.