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.
ends