Women’s strikes: Forward to May 1!

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Cinzia Arruzza, an organizer of the International Women’s Strike, US and a Marxist feminist writer and activist, has stated in interviews that “feminists are currently leading the way.” In the United States in the last three months, women clearly have led in organiz­ ing the largest mobilizations—such as the Women’s Marches on Jan. 21, which brought millions into the street in Washington and some 600 other cities.

The leadership role of women was shown again on March 8, International Women’s Day, when coordinat­ ed women’s strikes took place in over 50 countries. Women-led actions will continue on May 1, in con­ junction with strikes and protests by trade unionists and immigrant groups.

The size of the March 8 strikes varied, often based on how many years women have been organizing and striking. The largest turnouts were in Argentina, Po­ land, Ireland, Spain, Italy, and Turkey. The first reports came from Rome, which was essentially shut down as 20,000 women participated in street protests that started at the Colosseum, blocking traffic and shut­ ting down public transportation.

In Argentina there were three days of strikes. A teacher’s strike took place on the first day, followed by a strike called by the industrial unions against the government’s economic measures, and then followed by strikes in solidarity with International Women’s Day. This involved transportation workers, airport workers, teachers, and students. Tens of thousands of women marched in Buenos Aires. Femicide is a major issue for Argentina’s feminist movement, where one woman is killed every 30 hours because of gender.

In Iceland, which has had several women’s strikes in its history, the government announced plans to in­ 12 SOCIALIST ACTION APRIL 2017 troduce legislation to end gender pay disparities by 2022. It will be mandatory for both public and private employers.

Four Russian feminists unfurled a giant poster out­ side the Kremlin denouncing patriarchy. They were promptly arrested and then released. Fourteen wom­ en were arrested at a larger protest in St Petersburg. “We were harshly detained for singing songs and chanting on Malaya Sadovaya Street. We are on our way to the 78th police precinct. Happy Women’s Day,” activist Varya Mikhailova wrote on Twitter.

France saw demonstrations in cities across the country. Unions, feminist organizations, and student associations called for strikes starting at 3:40 p.m. as a symbol of when working women stop being paid, compared to men’s wages. The average pay gap is 26 percent. There were 20 demands, including salary in­ creases, less temporary work, and more enforcement of penalties for employers who discriminate against women, including when they are pregnant.

More than 700 feminists rallied in a conference hall in Seoul, South Korea, calling for an end to gender dis­ crimination and abortion restrictions. Their signs and chants included “3 o’clock, stop!” in reference to the pay gap. They are essentially working for free after 3 p.m. Women also organized in the Philippines; wom­ en demonstrated outside of a Roman Catholic church in Manila and wore masks smudged with blood to call for an end to violence against women.

Marches in Dublin and Warsaw made reference to the ongoing struggles for reproductive rights. The major demand in Ireland is to set a date for the ref­ erendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment, which is the basis for the country’s anti-abortion law. Tens of thousands of women took over the streets of Dublin and blocked the O’Connell Bridge. In Australia over Daniel Pockett / Getty Images (Above) March 8 strikers in Melbourne, Australia.

1000 child-care workers went out on strike around the country as part of their ongoing campaign for higher wages for workers caring for young children. U.S. schools and businesses close In the United States, a new organization was formed called “International Women’s Strike, US” to plan March 8 actions in solidarity with the women around the globe who were planning strikes. They developed a platform of “Feminism for the 99%.”

This is clearly the development of a new and more defined feminist movement. They reject economic inequality, racial and sexual violence and imperialist wars abroad. They are for labor rights, environmental justice, and reproductive justice for all. They clearly state they are in solidarity with working women, women of color, Native women, immigrant women, Muslim women, and lesbian, queer and trans women.

The activists had three weeks to organize strikes, rallies, and marches around the country, and they worked in solidarity with the organizers of the Jan. 21 Women’s March, who chose March 8 as their “Day Without Women.” In the end, over 50 towns and cities in the United States planned March 8 events, includ­ ing walking out of work.

Lamis Dek, a Palestinian who is on the Women’s Strike, US planning committee, told Harper’s Maga­ zine why she was striking: “We are not interested in a feminism of the elites. We are interested in a femi­ nism of the masses ... it must be anti-racist and anti-imperialist feminism. So it is important for me to be a part of organizing this movement, to mobilize Arab and Muslim communities, to say we are agents of our (continued on page 11, in “Is Ontario NDP ready for 2018 election?”)