WOMEN’S GLOBAL STRIKE 8 March 2000
UPDATE ONE – December 1999
| Meetings organising for the Strike have been taking off in London, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Barcelona (Spain) to reach women and get press coverage. E-mails are beginning to come in from around the world with messages full of news and delight. Women are forwarding the Strike mailing as they receive it, letting their networks know and making and asking for suggestions about what women can do on Strike Day – see below for more ideas. Irish women – who first called for an Irish Strike – are gaining press coverage for their demand of a Paid Public Holiday on 8 March 2000 and every year. Their campaign was launched in a Galway theatre; speakers reported on support from a local council and from members of almost every national political party. They circulated a model letter for individuals, | voluntary groups and trade unions to send to their local TD – legislator or councillor urging them to grant the Holiday. An Endorsement Coupon demanding the Holiday is also circulating for people to send to Senator David Norris – women campaigners "arrested" and tied him up earlier this year. He was eventually let go on "parole" on the condition that he brought up the issue in the Dublin Senate, which he agreed to do early next year. Famous people – singers, writers and Miss Ireland – as well as individuals & groups are supporting. Payday men's network, which works with the Wages for Housework Campaign is asking men from their network all over the world why and how they will support women they know going on Strike – watch this space for what they say and what they promise to do! |
| WE HAVE HEARD FROM WOMEN IN ¨ ARGENTINA: ready to co-ordinate the Strike there, have access to TV and radio ¨ AUSTRALIA: Melbourne ¨ BRAZIL – a human rights organisation has offered to translate leaflets into Portuguese and to circulate widely ¨ University of Brussels, BELGIUM ¨ CANADA: Vancouver – woman activist will translate leaflet into Farsi – Persian ¨ Toronto ¨ Montreal – Groupe de travail contre la discrimination, will circulate the information in all the languages ¨ British Columbia – asked for source of our statistics to circulate with information about the Strike ¨ ECUADOR: Quito – putting information on the Ciberbrujas webpage ¨ GERMANY: Hannover – free radio station (Radio Flora) will publicise the Strike ¨ GHANA: Tema – will put the idea into concert/drama and take to villages ¨ MEXICO: Mexico City – Defensoras Populares promoting the Strike ¨ SENEGAL – Union Democratique des Enseignants du Senegal will co-ordinate the Strike ¨ SPAIN: Barcelona – regular planning meetings … Granada also in touch ¨ ROMANIA: joining the march in Quebec and the Strike too ¨ SWEDEN: Goteborg – greetings and good luck ¨ SWITZERLAND ¨ USA: Southern California – feminist radio show will announce the Strike – "mega-parties" in Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York "if you don't pay us for our work, we'd rather party instead" … Minnesota, Washington DC Institute for Women's Policy Research putting it in her newsletter. Don't forget to send us copies! ¨ UK mother of two, sending website out to every woman she knows ... London – International Organisation of Iranian Women is supporting ... Middle East Centre for Women's Studies and Research wants to take part … Undercurrents UK want to broadcast international footage of the Strike on their video newsletters.We heard from many women who didn't say what country they were from. One of them wrote a poignant indictment of those women who, instead of coming up with new solutions based on women's enormous contribution, adopt and compete with "male values". Another woman added the demand: For the reform of education proposals which, on the grounds of protecting private property, consolidate unjust systems which do not respect cultural diversity and which encourage psychological, economic and political dependence. A number of women wanted ideas for their activities. One woman asked, "What exactly should we do – call in sick? Protest in front of the government buildings?" ALL THIS SOUNDS GOOD TO US – JUST DON'T GET SPOTTED ON TV BY THE BOSS!! Please let us know what you are doing and planning for the Strike so we can put it in the next Update. And remember to give us your village/town/city and country. |
| SUGGESTIONS for
what you can do between now and Strike day! ¨ Publicity is the key to success – the more women know about the Strike the more will participate and the more those who do will feel able to take time off, publicly or privately, with others or alone, from work outside and inside the home.¨ Add your demands for the Strike to ours or list your own, circulate them for coverage in the press, other peoples mailings etc.¨ Continue to forward Strike news through e-mail, fax, post. See Press Release. Put this Update with news/photos/video/sound etc on your website . . . link the Strike website to yours . . . encourage your local newspapers, radio & TV programmes/phone-ins to do interviews with you and others to get the news out . . . ask local papers to take free listings to advertise the Strike or do a weekly column updating on activities in your area . . . ask celebrities to support the Strike . . . make banners and posters to put up/fly pitch in your area . . . announce the Strike at meetings . . .ask your trade union or other organisation to pledge support, money and publicity . . . have a stall at your local market/shopping centre to give out leaflets and gather support . . . connect the Strike to neighbourhood actions to help strengthen them too!Remember to: Email you orders for your Strike T-shirts, badges and postcards with logos in English |
| Leaflet
translations ready in: Basque, Bengali, Brazilian Portuguese, Catalan, Croatian, English, French, Gaelic, German,
Italian, Somali, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish. In process: Arabic, Chinese, Finnish, Gujerati, Persian, Punjabi, Tigrynya, Urdu. Can you offer any more? |
We’re desperate for money to help with the cost of all the leaflets and mailings. Please send donations in £s to the UK, in $s to the US, addressed to Women’s Strike Fund. |