AFL-CIO Calls for Global Charter for Working Women’s Rights

The AFL-CIO Executive Council, at its recent Winter meeting, took several actions related to International Women’s Day.  It  called for establishment of a global charter guaranteeing the rights of working women around the globe.

From Berlin to Bogotá, from Bangkok to Baghdad and from Boston to Brazzaville, women work every day, contributing to the economic vitality of society as a whole.

Throughout the world, women are the hardest hit by the global economic crisis. Most work in low-skill and low-wage jobs. They are paid less than men in nearly every country, and they work longer hours. Their work is often dangerous, and many women risk their lives every time they go to their jobs.

The council says the AFL-CIO “therefore focuses our work on major areas in which women’s rights must be defended and enhanced worldwide, including”:

• Freedom of association—the right to organize;
• Education and training;
• Employment and equal pay;
• Social protection with particular focus on maternity protection and access to health care;
• Family responsibilities;
• Harassment and violence against women; and
• Full participation of women in union structures and operation.

Click here to read the global charter statement and here for the statement on working women’s rights in a global economy. For a new report on the inequality faced by working women around the world, click here.