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In August 2019, the Federation of University Teachers (Federación de Docentes Universitarios -CONADU) adopted a new protocol on discrimination, harassment and violence on grounds of gender or sexual orientation, perpetrated by their members.

The text was drafted by CONADUs’ gender collective and is based on a text drawn up by the CTA trade union centre. The protocol establishes the trade union’s responsibility to prevent and if necessary, sanction members for any acts of harassment or violence so as to ensure trade unions fully respect human rights.

Following the adoption of the protocol, CONADU further agreed to put forward a motion to the University High Councils and the National Interuniversity Council to discuss a quota mechanism for transgender staff in universities. This initiative is a response to the lack of State policies to support transgender people and builds on the actions already adopted at the National University of Tierra del Fuego (UNTDF).  As a result of that campaign organised by the local university union and NGOs, in September 2018, the UNTDF established a quota so that 1% of all university staff posts (both teaching and other staff) would be reserved for persons who were transvestites, transgender or other non-conforming gender identities. The University Council resolution to establish the quota is available in Spanish here.

“It might seem difficult to set up a quota given the current recruitment situation at universities but there are different forms of positive discrimination. We want the universities to contribute to overcoming all forms of discrimination and act in a way so as to strengthen their democratic, popular and feminist principles”, Yamile Socolovsky, CONADU International Relations Secretary explained.