Margarita Ramos and Cajasiete, Fifede ‘Ellas’ awards for equality in employment

The professor and the entity are awarded in this sixth edition of the Fifede Awards for Equality in Employment Ellas 2022. The awards were announced at a ceremony held at the facilities of the Museum of Nature and Archeology (MUNA).

The island president Peter Martin, emphasizes in his speech “the brilliant career of Ramos” and thanks the mentioned commitment of Cajasiete “and of all the nominated entities”. In this sense, Martín values: “I hope that this recognition will inspire many other entities, companies and public administrations, because equality cannot remain a mere declaration of principles.”

The island councilor for Employment, Socioeconomic Development and Foreign Action, Carmen Luz Baso, recalls that In the fourth quarter of 2021, the highest number of employed women in the Canary Islands was reached, exceeding 442,000.

“However – underlines Baso – we also see how women still occupy the historically feminized employment niches, such as cleaning or care; hence, the need for all of us to redouble our commitment to reduce the structural barriers that continue to hamper women’s access to the labor market with equal rights and conditions».

“Active participation”

For her part, the CEO of Equality and Prevention of Gender Violence, Priscila de León, emphasizes that “active participation and collaborative and coordinated work are the only way to make equality policies more effective” . In her opinion, “achieving equality between women and men is possible if you work for it and there is commitment, and thanks to these awards we continue to recognize and lead the way.”

The Ellas awards, promoted by the councilthrough the Insular Foundation for Training, Employment and Business Development (Fifede), have the objective of recognizing and making visible the work of people, social entities, companies and public administrations in terms of labor equality, so that they can also serve as an example for the population as a whole.

Margarita Ramos, professor of Labor and Social Security Law at the University of La Laguna, was recognized in the individual category for her fight for equal employment opportunities for women in the Canary Islands. She is president of the CajaCanarias Foundation, she is the author of more than 200 research papers, as well as an active speaker on labor rights and equality. Ramos was also Minister of Employment, Industry and Commerce of the Government of the Canary Islands between 2011 and 2013, and director of the Institute of Women’s Studies of the ULL until 2021.

In the business category, the award went to Cajasiete, for the development and implementation of measures in favor of equality and the work-life balance of its staff. Currently, 58 percent of the financial institution’s workforce is made up of women. In addition, internally it has a harassment protocol, an equality plan and conciliation measures such as extended maternity and paternity leaves, and the possibility of teleworking and flexible hours.

The Fifede awards are part of the initiative to promote the employment of unemployed women (ISOS project), which is co-financed by the Canary Islands Development Fund (Fdcan), and the Strategic Framework for Insular Development (Medi).

On previous occasions, these Ellas awards, which now reach their sixth edition in 2022, have recognized the following companies, people and entities: Cristina Almeida, Ana Hernández, María Ferraz, the Disa Group, the La Fast cooperative, the CV Arona Tenerife Sur, the IES Las Indias, the Provincial Federation of Metal and New Technologies Companies of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Femete), the Pharmaceutical Cooperative of Tenerife (COFARTE), the Port Authority of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and the Association of Single-Parent Families from the Canary Islands