The fourth women’s strike will take place on Saturday, 14 June, and will once again become a collective outcry of women against the patriarchal system, violence, discrimination, and capitalist exploitation.

Kurdish women will also use the occasion to raise the issue of Abdullah Öcalan’s freedom.

Women in Switzerland first went on strike on 14 June 1991. With more than 500,000 women participating, this historic action became one of the largest strikes in Swiss history.

The strike was held to protest the failure to implement the principle of “equality” that had been enshrined in the Swiss Constitution in 1981. Women halted production, household work, and took to the streets. This strike has since become a reference point for future generations and continues to inspire the ongoing struggle for equality today.

Call from YJK-S

In a statement, the Kurdish Women’s Union in Switzerland (YJK-S) said, “There can be no life without freedom. As women, we walk with the women’s freedom paradigm developed by Mr. Öcalan. His physical freedom is directly connected to women’s demands for equality and freedom.”

The statement also emphasized that the women’s strike has become the common voice of women’s resistance, stretching from the Middle East to Switzerland. It drew attention to the fact that women are taking to the streets from Rojava to Iran, from Palestine to Latin America.

The main demands of the women's strike were listed as follows:

- Equal pay for equal work

- An end to violence against women

- Recognition and socialization of care work

- Securing the rights of migrant and refugee women

- Social acceptance and equality for FLINTA+ individuals

- Building collective and free life alternatives against the patriarchal capitalist system

YJK-S June 14 strike schedule

Main gathering points:

* Aarau – 13:00 – Bahnhofplatz

* Basel – 12:30 – Barfüsserplatz

* Bellinzona – 16:00 – Piazza del Sole

* Bern – 15:00 – Bahnhofplatz

* Biel – 15:00 – Neumarktplatz

* Lausanne – 15:00 – Place Sainte-Françoise

* Lucerne – 11:00 – Inselipark

* Solothurn – 15:00 – Kreuzackerplatz

* St. Gallen – 10:30 – Kornhaus

* Zurich – 14:00 – Rundolf Brun Brücke

YJK-S march and rally events:

* Bern – 18:00 – Bahnhofplatz

March, music, and leaflet distribution:

* Zurich – 17:30 – Helvetiaplatz – March with YJK-S

* Basel – 18:00 – Claraplatz – FLINTA+ and Kurdish women's march

* Genève – 17:00 – Place Neuve – Leaflets, slogans, and march