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On 14th June 2019, the "Grève des Femmes" strike for women rights in Switzerland took place. The strike was a signal of times changing as there has not been a large mass of protest in the country before, half a million women and men took part in the french, german and Italian regions of the country. As a country well known for its wealth and vast mountain scenery, many would believe life in Switzerland has no struggle but this strike was not only a call to action but a way to bring awareness to violence against women.
Preparations to plan the strike were launched at the Women's Congress, on June 2, 2018 , which had gathered more than 150 women - unionized or no, organized or not, convinced that a feminist call to action was necessary to fight against an economic system where the profit of a few counts more than the life of the majority of the population. From this date, collectives were created in all the cantons; a Manifesto created and a national network to mobilise women and men in support was established.
WREPA was able to attend the strike and get a better understanding of what the demands are, the march was an outright call to the end of violence against women and children and also highlighted the demands below:
We want respect for our work and equal opportunities. We want zero tolerance for sexism and sexual harassment. We want an end to violence against women.
We want more pay, and equal pay for equal work. We want decent wages, which allow us to live. We want rents that provide us with a dignified retirement.
We want more time, and better work / life balance. We want time to train and professional perspectives. We want a guaranteed occupancy rate, which allows us to live.
To get in-depth information on the organisation supporting the movement visit UNIA
To follow along on next steps for the movement visit the main site grève des femmes