On 8 March 2000 women in 64 countries on every continent took what time they could away from waged and unwaged work in the first ever Global Women’s Strike.

This was women's answer to the global market which prioritises the production of things over caring for people.

Acting together across national boundaries to prioritise caring work, women mobilised "for a millennium which values all women's work and all women's lives-.

Highlights included thousands of village women in India demanding 'wages for all work' as well as land; the Housewives Trade Union in Argentina calling for 'pensions without contributions for workers without wages'. In Burkino Faso rural women struck 'to exist', demanding money for birth certificates and identity cards. In Ghana they demonstrated to value "Our Precious mothers". Women in Ireland stopped work for 10 minutes at llam, and asylum seekers joined a celebration in Galway Town Hall. Spain saw a women's stoppage at 12 noon across Catalunya, and in London sexworkers launched the Strike with a march through Soho demanding justice against eviction from their homes.

The Strike was first called by women in Ireland demanding an annual paid day off in recognition of their enormous contribution to society, most of which is unwaged. It was made global by the International Wages for Housework Campaign (RWHC) to protest the grotesque discrepancy between $800 billion a year spent on military budgets world-wide, while $80 billion would provide the essentials of life for everyone.

Strike 2001 will again focus on women's and girls' contribution to every society and every economy. As we all know, women make the world go round, looking after its entire population: but two thirds of the work we do is unwaged and unvalued. This lack of economic and social recognition is a fundamental sexist injustice which keeps most of us poor. Poverty is the first violence and lies at the root of other violence against us most of us don't have the money to escape with our children from violent relationships. We are denied the resources we need for our safety and protection.

GLOBAL WOMEN AGAINST THE GLOBAL MARKET As people everywhere demand a total change of priorities, women and girls strike for society to INVEST IN THE ENRICHMENT OF EVERY LIFE rather than in the enrichment of a few. While women and girls do the work of giving birth to, feeding and caring for the whole world, this vital work of survival and community is devalued and those who do it are demeaned.

A world that starts with people's needs, not corporate greed - without sexism, racism, ageism or ANY discrimination - must prioritise caring work, value the experience of those who do it, and must insist on men and boys caring too. While women must have the right to abortion, we must be able to have the children we want, breastfeed them if we choose, and have time with them and with others we love and care for.

Women s priorities are global priorities - a recent international Gallup opinion poll found that "people everywhere value good health and a happy family life more highly than anything else." *

The Strike demands a total change of social and economic priorities for women and therefore for everyone: -Payment for all caring work - in wages, pensions, land and other resources. o Pay equity for all, women and men, in the global market. -Paid maternity leave, breastfeeding breaks and other benefits. *Abolition of 'Third World debt' which falls heaviest on women and girls.

NEITHER FEW NOR CRAZY

Women around the world are making plans for the second Global Women's Strike. The latest countries to take part include: Chad - a human rights group based at the offices of a disability Organisation, and four sister organisations; Colombia - the women's movement for peace; Ghana women perforning a play about domestic workers' pay; Honduras - 500 rural women; Norway - a resource centre for Black, inunigrant and refugee women; Peru indigenous women are broadcasting from their radio station in the Andes while domestic workers broadcast from the capital. We have also heard from Algeria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkino Faso, Cameroon, Congo, France, India, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, South Africa, Turkey, Uganda, Yemen, and Zimbabwe, and from Jewish and Arab/Palestinian Women for Peace in the Middle East.

Strike mobilisations have been launched nationally by the Housewives Trade Union.in Argentina, and the IWFHC in England, Spain and the US. Women's International League for Peace and Freedom have endorsed the Strike. In Philadelphia, WFH with the Coalition of Labour Union Women, the National Organisation for Women, the local Jewish Labour Committee and jobs with justice have called for a two-hour lunch-break for women ‘against low pay, no pay and for pay equity'. Strikers will attend the 20, January counter-coup in Washington DC to protest Bush's coup. Denied even the most basic representation, women globally are using the Strike to represent themselves and build unity.

In Ireland, women's actions will draw attention to the gap between 'women in power and decision making' and all other women. In Galway a month of activities lead up to the Strike - an exhibition of women's unwaged work, a Global Strike Festival broadcast on Radio Pirate-Woman, re-enactment of the historic 'Seanad' debate for the National Paid Holiday to honour women's work, and three video-showings, including the movement of immigrants without papers in France led by African women.

On 8 March women will gather at midday at the Town Hall Theatre. Further information: ph 091 56 54 30, email: margaretta@eircom.net or write to 10 St Bridget's Place Lower, Galway.

Strike organisers say:

"Make your work visible by stopping for whatever time you can, at home, at your waged job, in your community, in colleges and schools. We can send out Strike leaflets or it can be downloaded from our website to pass on to friends, family, work colleagues, classmates. Please invite any groups you're a member of to take part in some way; help publicise the Strike or help with fundraising. Send us a Striking Statement about why you are going on Strike and your news, which we'll be glad to add to our Website. We also need help with translating the Strike leaflet."

Payday men's network is coordinating support from men worldwide - gathering statements and donations, organising childcare, food, etc. Men are welcome to contact them at our address.

International Wages for Housework Campaign, Crossroads Women's Centre 230A Kentish Town Rd, London NWS 2AB

Tel: 0207 482 2496, Fax: 0207 209 4761
e-mail: womenstrike8m@serveriOl.com
website: httpV/womenstrike8m.serverl0l.com