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Call for action: Women’s Strike 2020

Each year on International Women’s Day,  millions of women worldwide go on strike. Those who are able, refuse to do all the work- both paid and unpaid- which keeps the world going. In the UK, the 8th March strike is organised by the Women’s Strike Assembly. Here is their call for strike this Sunday.

“This is an invitation for feminists of all genders to join the strike in Britain. The Women’s Strike is an international strike for solidarity between women and against the borders that attempt to divide us.

On 8 March we will speak out, we will be disruptive and we will strike and refuse to work. Across the world millions of young people have been leading the fight for ecological justice. In the last year it has become frighteningly clear that we must urgently dismantle the economic and political system that sees women and nature as resources to plunder, exploit and harm.

When we strike we defy those who continue to not believe us when we are raped. Sexual violence, from assault to everyday workplace harassment is at the centre of our exploitation.The number of women killed by former and current partners has increased to an average of three deaths per week. We demand collective solutions to our individual experiences of violence whether they occur in the home, on the streets or at work. With cuts to domestic violence and rape services, rising racism and nationalism, and record numbers of women suffering violence we need to build a feminist movement from below that strikes at the heart of our oppression and exploitation.

When we strike we challenge the male dominated trade unions that ignore the reality of our lives. Austerity is nothing short of a class war and the big trade unions have been asleep on the job. For ten years it has been women that have suffered the most as the rich have gotten richer and the rest of us struggle to put food on the table, keep the heating on and the rent paid. The cost of childcare in Britain is so high that many of us are trapped in low-paid and unrewarding work just to balance the nightmare that is getting the kids to and from school.

On 8 March we will be on strike from the work we do – regardless of whether we get paid or not. The Women’s Strike occurs on International Women’s Day – and we join with million of women and non-binary people across the world in fighting for a feminist future.

Join us.”


What’s planned for Women’s Strike 2020 in the UK:

Bristol:

A meeting to bring together people of all genders and feminist collectives interested in organising for the 8th of March 2020 in Bristol.

BRISTOL WSA present banner making session towards International Women’s Day Strike! Anyone welcome! Children friendly!

Feminists of all genders come and strike on International Women’s Day in Bristol.

Cambridge:

We will be meeting at Cambridge train station on the morning of Sunday 8th to get the train to London together to join the action at Cavendish Square, and then join the Sex/Work Strike march in the evening.

Cardiff:

Carnival on climate change.

We will learn together and perform Feminist Anthem “A Rapist In Your Path”, in solidarity with our sisters and siblings worldwide who face patriarchal oppression.

Bring you children, family and friends to get together and celebrate the lives and achievements of women in Fairwater and around the world. All genders welcome.

Edinburgh:

Gig full of patriarchy-smashing musicians to celebrate #IWD2020. Come dance, have fun, make a grrrlpit!

Come make banners to use on the march, materials provided. There will also be an acoustic music jam, and a zine making station.

This is an invitation to join women and non-binary people of any ethnicity or sexual orientation, who have been marginalised or disadvantaged by the patriarchy.

Leeds:

On the 8th of March women and feminized people across the world will take to the streets to call for and end to the multilayered violence we continue to endure. We are angry and we are rising. We will be performing “Un Violador en tu Camino” / “ A Rapist in your path. Meet at noon at Bridge Street (going over plans and practicing the performance), and 2pm for the performance.

Leicester:

As part of the Leicester Feminist to the pickets strikes at the University of Leicester and at De Montfort University on the 9th March, Leicester Women’s Strike Assembly is organising a rehearsal of ‘A Rapist in your path’, which we aim to perform at the pickets on the 9th March.

Liverpool:

All genders are welcome. But we ask that, in the first instance, cis-men support the womxn in their lives to ensure they can participate.

Liverpool Sisterhood is collaborating with Blackburne House to bring you this year’s International Women’s (IWD) Post-march Celebrations.

London:

Join us ahead of this year’s strike on 8 March for a night of feminist dance floor action and wicked vibes.

Join us for a day of collective joy, when we will get to rest and socialise, while experienced male childminders care for our kids. We will share toys, craft activities and fun games and enjoy a meal provided by Cooperation Town, a local community-led food co-op. All genders welcome.

  • 8 March 11am-2pm at Priory Court Community Centre, 11 Priory Court, e17 5nb: Walthamstow: On Strike Because We Care
Join us for a day of collective joy, when we will get to rest and socialise, while experienced male childminders care for our kids. We will share toys, craft activities and fun games and enjoy a meal provided by a local community-led food co-op. All genders welcome.

Join us for a day of collective joy, when we will get to rest and socialise, while experienced male childminders care for our kids. We will share toys, craft activities and fun games and enjoy a meal provided by a local community-led food co-op. All genders welcome.

This year we will be taking action in central London. Since the strike day falls on a Sunday we will highlight the work of production and consumption that women across the world take on. Shopping is usually a task taken on by women, whether it’s for food, clothes or washing up liquid. The underpaid work of producing cheap clothes and selling them is overwhelmingly also done by women. This cycle is destroying our lives and our planet.

Alongside feminist groups across the world, we’re calling for a consumption strike on 8 March. We don’t just want to tell people to stop shopping — instead, we’re building an alternative. All afternoon we will hold the space for action, dialogue and music.

We will be hosting a MASS CLOTHES SWAP. Bring clothes you want to swap for free — all clothes must be in good condition.
Wear red. Bring noise. Bring art. Bring your friends.

Queridas hermanas Latinas: Asamblea Chilena en Londres quiere invitarlas a participar dentro de nuestro bloque de Latinas en Londres en la marcha organizada por Women Strike assembly este 8 de marzo.

On International Women’s Day we strike against the sexist, racist and criminal laws that jeopardise the lives of sex workers. On March 8th we will refuse to do sex/work for money and we will not carry out the domestic, sex and care work that we are expected to do for free: the jobs that keep our communities, families and the system we live in ticking over.

We are striking to demand decriminalisation so we can work collectively, keep each other safe and organise for better working conditions.

Plymouth:

This is a public event to commemorate International Women’s Day 2020 in solidarity with the International Women’s Strike.

Additionally, this year Women’s Strike was extended until Monday 9th March in solidarity with the #UCUStrikes. The Monday actions are planned in London at UCL, SOAS, Goldsmiths and Birkbeck; and in York, Liverpool, Oxford, Sheffield, Manchester, Leicester, and Campbridge.

MEN: you are kindly requested to help with the Women’s Strike by providing free labour in the fields traditionally dealt with by women. To volunteer, please get in touch with info(at)womenstrike.org.uk

See you on the streets!


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