Marianne Mure Pache was one of the key organisers behind the women’s strike in Geneva on 14 June last year, when some 20,000 protested in the Swiss city for equal money, time and respect.
Speaking during a Thursday morning press conference in Luxembourg, she pointed out that her country had been “closer to Saudi Arabia” when it came to voting rights. It wasn’t until 1991 that its last canton, Appenzell Innerrhoden, was forced by the Swiss federal court to grant women voting rights.
During the Geneva protest, women’s names replaced those of men on street signs. A fountain was lit in purple, the colour associated with the movement. Although unplanned, public transport in the area of the gathering was blocked during the demonstration. Despite high turnout, there wasn’t a single violent action during the event.
Geneva was just one city of many to participate in the strikes which mobilised hundreds of thousands in Switzerlandand beyond. But the international movement is gaining momentum and even if women’s suffrage was approved much earlier in Luxembourg--in 1919, 100 years ago--there’s still work to be done when it comes to equality, say organisers of the first Luxembourg women’s strike set to take place on Saturday, 7 March 2020.
“Hidden” work
Isabelle Schmoetten is one of the faces behind the local “Journée international de la femme” (International Women’s Day in English, or JIF) platform. As she explained, local organisers have already been in touch not just with their counterparts in Switzerland but also neigbouring countries.
Schmoetten says the planned Luxembourg strike will focus on caregivers, whether those taking care of the elderly or other dependent adults, children or other family members. Such work can be paid or unpaid, but it involves a range of tasks, from cleaning and cooking or providing psychological support.
“Care work, paid or unpaid, is primarily taken up by women,” Schmoetten said.
“This is intensive work, with a person at the centre, a work where a large responsibility must be taken on,” said fellow colleague, Tina Koch (LSAP), who added that such work tends to be “unseen”, in part because it often takes place inside the home.
She called for a “mentality and culture change” both for unpaid work which is “not interesting for our economy, it doesn’t bring any money” but also for part-time workers in this field, who tend to receive less pay and fewer benefits. According to 2015 Liser figures, 34% of women who were active on the job market worked part-time, compared to 6% of their male counterparts. What’s more, of those working part-time, 58% worked part-time to take care of personal or family responsibilities, whereas 22% of men gave the same reason.
“We are speaking about structural discrimination,” Koch added, calling not just for a “mentality and culture change” but also for support from politicians- They have even asked emplyoment minister Dan Kersch a certain time allotment so women working that day would have the right to strike.
As it continues preparations for the strike next spring, the platform also plans on working together with the OGBL and “other institutions” to make care work visible, Koch says.
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On Thursday evening at Wëllem café, Mure Pache, along with Regula Bühlmann and Noemi Blázquez, shared their own experiences about the strike in Switzerland in which they all took part .
Those who wish to keep an eye on developments for the 2020 women’s strike are encouraged to visit the dedicated webpage fraendag.lu or follow the movement on Facebook or Instagram.
A crowdfunding initiative to support the movement is also expected to be announced soon.