Icelandic Women’s Strike on a European Level!

Icelandic women‘s organizations and labor unions are calling for a women‘s strike this coming Wednesday, October 24th 2018, to protest gender income inequality and violence and harassment in the workplace. They are planning to leave work at 14:55 – the minute they stop being paid for their work due to the pay inequality accounting in Iceland for 26%. If the protest was taking place in Italy, taken into account the earnings pay gap, women in Italy would have to walk out from work even earlier – at 13:30, in Belgium: at 14:49, in Poland – at 14:48.

In sign of solidarity, groups of women’s rights activists from all over Europe are joining in to support the the Icelandic strike, and to highlight the problem of the overall earnings gaps in their own countries.

Polish women’s rights activists have been the initiators of this international call for action, as they recognize the special role the Icelandic women’s movements have played in history since their first strike in 1975 which engaged 80% of Icelandic women!

Icelandic women gave us inspiration to organise ourselves in defence of women’s rights in Poland in the recent years, and therefore now we would like to offer them our support in turn” – says Gosia Wochowska one of the Gals4Gals Lodz

None of European countries is free from gender earnings gaps, and Iceland already has one of the lowest gender earnings gaps in the world. So we believe that this is actually a great opportunity to highlight the problem in our countries too” – adds Elena Pontil from the Italian “Non Una Di Meno”

All interested persons can post a photo with # and post it in the Facebook event page here: https://www.facebook.com/events/322818721837155

24 October

#WalkOut Iceland 14:55

#EqualPayNow

This action is supported and co-organised by organisations across Europe, from many countries from Norway to Serbia – and more is continuously joining.

Confirmed and to-be-confirmed international organisers

Iceland: Kvennafrí and Icelandic Women’s Rights Association
Poland: Lodzkie Dziewuchy Dziewuchom (Gals4Gals Lodz)
Italy: Non una di meno e Non una di Meno Firenze
Germany: Dziewuchy Berlin 
Belgium: Black Brussels BalloonsKongres Kobiet w Brukseli 
Serbia: Mreza Zene Protiv Nasilja
France: Lallab (tbc)
Croatia: Womens Network Croatia (tbc)

Scotland: Gals for Gals Scotland
England: Polish Feminists


Resorces and information:

Icelandic Women’s Rights Association: http://kvennafri.is/en

FB: http://facebook.com/kvennafri
Inst: kvennafri our TT: kvennafri

Note, the GENDER EARNINGS GAP is not the same as “PAY GAP”. Gender earnings gap measures the impact of the three combined factors:

(1) the average hourly earnings

(2) the monthly average of the number of hours paid

(3) the employment rate, on the average earnings of all women of working age – whether employed or not employed – compared to men.

FIND OUT ON THE LEVEL OF GENDER EARNINGS GAP in your country

2014, Eurostat:

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/table.do?tab=table&init=1&language=en&pcode=teqges01&plugin=1