Organisers outline plans for nationwide women’s strike
The flyers are ready for the June 14 strike
Keystone / Marcel Bieri
Plans are shaping up for the nationwide women's strike scheduled for June 14. Labour rights groups in Bern and Fribourg have presented their respective programmes for the day of protest.
The Bern branches of the labour unions Unia and VPOD/SSP outlined their plans for the June 14 strike in the capital, where everything will “come to a standstill”, they said on Tuesday. Women will be advised to leave their workplaces and make themselves visible “with lots of noise”.
A demonstration and rally are planned for 3pm on the square in front of the Swiss parliament building.
The organisers are calling on participants and supporters to “colour Bern violet” with the clothes they wear or by carrying violet flags.
The Fribourg organisers are also expecting a big turn-out on June 14. The well-known Georges-Python Square in Fribourg will be renamed the Georgette-Pythone Square and act as the focal point for the rally and party, the Fribourg collective told reporters on Tuesday.
“Everyone will be welcome in Fribourg”, they said, with an artistic programme, stands, children’s nursery and speeches.
Rallies are also being planned in other parts of the country.
Why strike?
Stefanie von Cranach, from the trade union Unia Bern, told reporters on Tuesday that women are ready to fight for change. There is a long list of reasons motivating people to take part in the strike, she said. These range from unequal wages to pressures on part-time employees, the burden of household work, and sexual violence.
Catherine Friedli, secretary of the VPOD/SSP union, says that unfair working conditions is an important reason people want to strike.
“Despite the introduction of the constitutional article on equality between men and women in 1981 and the equality law, which is still non-binding, women’s salaries are still about 20% lower than men’s in the private sector and 16% lower in the public sector,” she said.
The date of the strike, June 14, is of particular significance in the fight for gender equality in Switzerland. On that date in 1981, Swiss citizens voted to enshrine gender equality into the constitution. Then on June 14, 1991, 500,000 women, led by unions, stopped working in Switzerland in protest at the lack of progress on equality.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Zurich arbitration authority rules in favour of tenants of ‘Sugus Houses’
This content was published on
A conciliation authority says the terminations of 105 flat leases in the so-called "Sugus Houses" in the centre of Zurich were abusive. The tenants therefore do not have to move out - at least for the time being.
This content was published on
Visitors to Switzerland spent CHF19.6 billion ($23.9 billion) last year, a 2.2% rise compared to the previous year, the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) said on Monday.
This content was published on
Despite the current tense economic situation, Swiss consumer sentiment remains positive. The Swiss spent more money in May than the previous year, particularly on restaurant visits and leisure activities, as shown by the latest figures released by PostFinance.
This content was published on
A bear killed four sheep in the Lower Engadine region near Scuol, canton Graubünden, last week. This was the first bear attack on local livestock in four years.
This content was published on
Experts believe that economic development in Switzerland will be weaker in 2026 than the forecasts made three months ago. They have also lowered their predictions for the current year.
This content was published on
Fewer people in Switzerland have a religious affiliation and the proportion who practice their religion regularly is steadily declining, a survey finds.
Study: trees have major cooling effect even in extreme heat
This content was published on
Plane trees in cities have an important cooling effect even in extreme heat, according to a new study by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL).
EPFL launches digitised version of Battle of Murten panorama
This content was published on
To mark the anniversary of the Battle of Murten on 22 June 1476, the Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) has launched a website that offers the public an immersive experience of the huge panorama painting of the historic battle.
77th Swiss Gymnastics Festival praised for ‘positive energy’
This content was published on
The 77th Federal Gymnastics Festival drew to a close on Sunday in Lausanne, after eleven days of popular celebration and sporting performances.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Women take to the streets for their rights
This content was published on
International Women’s Day has been marked in Switzerland with public protests, calls for equal pay and the overnight changing of street names.
This content was published on
They were calling for more action, ten years after equality between men and women had been enshrined in the constitution. The women were workers, graduates, civil servants, mothers and housewives from all over the country and from all language regions. The issues: the slow implementation of the equality article in the constitution and the need…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.