Reykjavík mayor Jón Gnarr told reporters that he would like female city employees to take part in the National Women’s Day Strike, to be held 25 October.
In a letter he sent to all city employees, Gnarr says in part “Women have for centuries lived with inequality in this world. This mistreatment has been reflected in, among other areas, a lack of respect, a lower wage and sexual abuse against women of all ages and in every strata of society.”
He then encourages city employees to take part in the proposed general strike, saying, “In the fight against gender inequality, it is very important that the many voices of the women who work for the city of Reykjavík are heard and seen in this symbolic fashion.”
The general strike begins Monday at 14:25. A march from Hallgrímkirkja down to Arnarhóll will begin at 15:00.
The first general women’s strike in Iceland was declared on 24 October 1975, in an effort to draw attention to the mistreatment of women in the work place. The gender wage gap still exists in Iceland, hovering at around 10% over the past few years.
The Grapevine encourages women everywhere to show solidarity with this cause and take part in the strike.