Media release on behalf of Working Women’s Charter Seminar committee

26 April 2010

Working women challenge the present, celebrate the past
on May Day

Women are meeting in Wellington on May Day to celebrate the 30th birthday of the Working Women's Charter, and to find out what remains to be achieved for working women.

‘The Working Women's Charter was adopted in 1980 by the Federation of Labour - forerunner of the Council of Trade Unions,’ said Hazel Armstrong, one of the organisers of the May 1 seminar. ‘It was a 16-point Charter outlining the rights and needs of working women, and was a guide and inspiration for campaigns and activism at a time when women faced many challenges in paid employment.’

‘2010 is also a significant anniversary of another milestone. It is 50 years since the Government Services Equal Pay Act of 1960. But much remains to be done to achieve equal pay for work of equal value, one of the key points of the Working Women's Charter,’ said Hazel Armstrong.

The seminar will be addressed by 12 women, including some who were union activists when the Charter was promoted in the late 1970s and 1980s. The seminar audience will also hear from young women whose life experiences may differ in many ways from those of older women. ‘We want to hear about younger women’s experiences with work, and what they see as priorities for the future’, said Ms Armstrong.

In addition to presentations the seminar will include displays, moving images, birthday celebrations and singing.

To register (Waged $20; unwaged $10) email: workingwomenseminar@gmail.com  or write to Working Women's Seminar, PO Box 2564, Wellington.

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