Yesterday at 8:38 p.m
KEYSTONE
From blocking trams in Zurich to lighting Lausanne Cathedral in purple, huge numbers of women — more than 300,000 according to union figures — mobilized in Switzerland on Wednesday to celebrate the national day of feminist strikes.
This day ended with parades in several cities, big and small, under the sun, to the sound of drums, slogans and songs, with this year’s motto: “Respect, Time, Money!”
Across the country, where demonstrations are not very frequent, “more than 300,000 people took part in the day of feminist strikes,” according to the Swiss Trade Union Confederation (USS), which has twenty affiliated unions, at the end of the day.
“It is clear to the USS that this day must be followed quickly by concrete action, particularly with regard to wages,” added the country’s largest workers’ organization, which also calls for combating sexism, particularly in the workplace.
Historical review
This day of mobilization was revived in 2019 by a new generation of activists after a first edition that had no consequence in 1991. He particularly encourages women to leave the workforce earlier to protest persistent wage inequality, but also to denounce discrimination, harassment and gender-based violence.
The day commemorates the passage of the principle of equality between women and men in the Constitution on June 14, 1981 in a country where women’s suffrage was not introduced until 1971.
“My uterus, my choice”, “Quality men are committed to equality” or “Equality for others does not mean fewer rights for you,” demonstrators wrote on their posters.
On the Zurich side
In Zurich, where tens of thousands of demonstrators were marching, according to the media, the strike led to the adjournment of the municipal parliament session as a sign of solidarity with the demonstrators.
According to the Swiss news agency Keystone-ATS, almost 300 people blocked tram traffic in a city square before being dispersed by police.
joy and fighting spirit
Pan concerts, meetings in the squares and musical picnics marked the day, in the big cities but also in smaller towns.
Tens of thousands of women of all generations, dressed in pink, lilac or lilac, demonstrated in a cheerful and combative atmosphere in Lausanne, Geneva or Bern.
In the capital, they organized a meeting on the square in front of the Federal Palace, which is both the seat of parliament and the government. “We swear to fight for equality for all people in this country until it is achieved!” she said with a raised fist.
For the USS, “the strong mobilization today shows that equality for women in professional life and in society really needs to move forward now and will do so”.
The idea of going on strike again arose a few years ago at the suggestion of unions after they failed to introduce the principle of sanctioning companies that violate equal pay when they revised the Gender Equality Act in 2018.
political advances
In Switzerland, the recognition of women’s rights still has a long way to go. Progress has been made in recent years, such as the decriminalization of abortion in 2002 and 14-week maternity leave in 2005.
Two-week paternity leave came into force in 2021, but the limited and expensive crèche places pose a major obstacle to women’s professional activity. TTY