Over the past six weeks we've been celebrating collective action and union power through our Women's Rights at Work Festival.

This years WRAW Fest was all about Standing Up and Fighting Back. We came together to celebrate hard fought wins, share organising strategies, learn our feminist history and rally to demand equality, safety and respect!

Women On Strike! 

We kicked off WRAW Fest with the Women On Strike panel! We were joined by three women workers from media, local council and TAFE who had taken industrial action to fight for better pay and working conditions including: 

• Protections against AI
• Rights for casual workers
• Workload and overtime protections

It was an inspiring night where we celebrated the power of union solidarity and shared organising insights. 

International Working Women's Day Rally

On March 6 we rallied through the city for International Working Women's Day. IWWD has always been about working women standing up and fighting back. We marched to demand respect for our work, equal pay, reproductive health leave, and safe communities and workplaces. It was awesome to stand with so many of our sisters and comrades!

'Women's Voices from the Revolution' Book Launch with Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA

On 4 March Debbie Stothard of human rights organisation ALTSEAN-Burma, Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA and MEAA joined us at Trades Hall for the launch of the groundbreaking book 'Women's Voices from the Revolution'. The book is a collection of writings from women in Myanmar resisting military occupation. In telling these stories, Debbie spoke of the importance of international solidarity. Solidarity and sisterhood has no borders. We extend solidarity to those impacted by the earthquake in Myanmar. 

You can download the book here. 

Feminist Melbourne History Walk with the Queen Victoria Women's Centre

We joined with the QVWC to deliver a special International Women's Day Feminist History Walking Tour!

Participants walked between Trades Hall, the Welsh Church and the QVWC to learn about three prominent Melbourne women activists and their legacies; Zelda D'Aprano and her fight for equal pay, Helen Robertson and her fight for tailoresses working conditions, and Dr Constance Stone and her fight for the provision of professional health care for all women and children.

If you want to learn more about some historic moments in Victoria's union history and the women who led them join one of our free monthly Feminist Hall Tours here!

It's For Every Body - Reproductive Health Leave Campaign Launch

We launched the Victorian It's For Every Body campaign - union campaign to win paid reproductive leave and flexibility entitlements for all workers. It's For Every Body is about supporting workers to be safer and healthier at work and creating inclusive, respectful workplaces and recognises that all workers, no matter their age, sex or gender will experience a reproductive health issue in their working life. 

Sign up to the campaign here to get involved and download your Campaign Bargaining Kit and Delegates Guide!

Standing Up, Fighting Back: How We’re Winning Equal Pay 

The gender pay gap is closing faster than it ever has, so we wanted to bring together some of the amazing union women who are making this happen! New laws campaigned for by women in union have led to some pay increases for workers in historically feminised industries like aged care, early childhood education and medical science. 

• Up to 28% pay rises for aged care workers
• 15% pay rises for 50,000 early childhood educators through new multi-employer bargaining laws
• How medical scientists are being heard in a gender undervaluation case at the Fair Work Commission to win better pay and respect. 

It was moving to hear the real impacts these campaigns and hard-won laws have had on the lives of working women. Read more here.

Standing Up, Fighting Back: How We’re Ending Gender-Based Violence at Work

Gender-based violence is a signficant issue facing working women. Unions fought and won for gender-based violence to be recognised as an OHS issue. Our panelists shared different ways we can address the underlying drivers of gender based violence by making work more secure: 

• A new type of workplace justice visa that allows migrant workers to maintain residency while their workplace legal issue is being heard
• Organising for safe, inclusive work cultures and well paid secure jobs for women in manufacturing 
• Improved rights for casual workers and those on fixed term contracts to convert to permanent employment

Standing Up, Fighting Back: Working Women United - Organising Together for Change 

For our final WRAW Fest even we were joined by Teri O'Toole (FAAA), Alison Barnes (NTEU), and Emily McMillan (TWU). They shared the life changing impacts of industrial reforms to address worker exploitation:

• Qantas cabin crew receiving pay rises of up to 40% and winning direct employment thanks to same job, same pay legislation
• How the NTEU has campaigned to fix wage theft and insecure work across the tertiary education sector  
• Gig platform on-demand workers for companies like Uber and Deliveroo winning new minimum rights and protections

We know we are stronger when we have each other's backs.

What a month...

Congratulations to everyone who came along and was a part of such a packed WRAW Fest. We are certainly feeling the power of women in union after that!