• Français
FacebookTwitterYoutubeInstagram
Find Your Local Union
Subscribe to E-news
 
Login
Contact

UFCW Canada - Union Logo

Canada's Private Sector Union

  • About Our Union
  • Media & News
  • Resources
  • Issues
  • Action Centre
  • Join the Union

Directions Newsletter

International Women's Day - March 8, 2013

fShare
Tweet
8.5"x11" 11"x17"

Toronto – March 8, 2013 – For 36 years the United Nations General Assembly has recognized International Women's Day (IWD) in order to celebrate the advancement and contributions of women, based on the premise that global peace and genuine social progress require women to be fully equal and active participants in society.

Held on March 8, IWD is a day for reflecting on past struggles and accomplishments while reminding the world that continued vigilance and action are required to ensure that women's rights are achieved and maintained in all aspects of life.

This year's IWD theme is "The Gender Agenda: Gaining Momentum," which speaks to the growing global momentum for women's equality. In Canada, for example, women now lead six of our provinces and territories and comprise the majority of university graduates.  

However, there are still many areas where women are not afforded the rights, respect, and compensation that they deserve.

On average, working women in Canada earn roughly one-third less than men for equal work of equal value. Stephen Harper's Conservative Government has yet to introduce a national, publically-funded child care system, despite the fact that subsidized child care empowers more women to enter the workforce and reduces their risk of living in poverty. Our Employment Insurance (EI) system fails the 40 percent of Canadian women who work part-time, as they typically do not bank enough hours to qualify for EI benefits if they need to take a maternity leave or happen to lose their job. And violence against women remains a serious, unresolved problem around the world.

That is why UFCW Canada fights to break down the systemic barriers that our sisters continue to face. By organizing non-unionized women workers, speaking out against gender-based discrimination in the workplace, and helping to elect family-friendly governments, our union strives to secure a fairer, more fulfilling, and progressive future for all women. Indeed, UFCW Canada’s identity – what our union stands for and aspires to be – has largely been shaped by women.  

On this International Women's Day, let us celebrate the accomplishments of our sisters while renewing our commitment to achieving meaningful change moving forward.

 

In solidarity,

Wayne E. Hanley

National President

 

Celebrate this important day of commemoration by joining the IWD events in your community.

  • Media & News
    • News
      • All News
      • Agriculture
      • By the Numbers
      • Campaigns
      • Directions Newsletter
      • Infographics
      • Politics
      • Social Justice
      • Women and Gender Equity
      • Young Workers
      • Health & Safety
    • Media
    • Subscribe to E-news
  • Join the Union
  • About Our Union
    • About Our Union
      • Find Your Local Union
      • National President
      • National Council
      • Constitution
      • Union History
      • Mission Statement
      • Annual Reports
      • Join UFCW Canada
  • Media & News
    • Media & News
      • News
      • Media
      • Subscribe to E-news
  • Resources
    • Resources
      • Union Training & Scholarships
      • Health & Safety
      • The National Defence Fund
      • Member Discounts
      • Great Canadian Food Products
      • UFCW Canada Equity Grant Program
  • Issues
    • Issues
      • Leukemia Fundraising
      • Political Action
      • Women and Gender Equity
      • Social Justice
      • The Union for Agriculture Workers
      • UFCW Pride – Union Pride!
      • Young Workers
      • Food Justice
      • Global Solidarity
      • Uber Drivers United
      • Conscious Cannabis
  • Action Centre
    • Action Centre
      • Paid Sick Days Now!
      • Stop the Hate! Support an anti-racist COVID-19 recovery
      • Add Your Voice to the Call for Universal Childcare
      • Take Action to Protect Farm Workers and Canada’s Food Supply
      • Show your support for frontline workers
      • Help Food Processing Workers!
      • Economic Security for All
      • What you need to know about COVID-19
      • Stand against conversion therapy in Canada
      • Support the expansion of EI benefits
      • Help support justice for First Nations children in Canada
      • Support Uber Drivers
      • Tell leading grocery giants across Canada to protect workers and ditch toxic receipts
      • Support good union jobs at The Beer Store
      • #NoMore campaign to end gender-based violence
      • Help close the Gender Wage Gap today
      • Stop Cargill’s union-busting in Turkey
  • Join the Union
    • Join the Union
      • Why UFCW Canada
      • Union Advantage
      • Union Facts
      • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Everything About Unions
      • Workplaces We Represent
      • How to Join a Union
      • Join Now

Login

FacebookTwitterYoutubeInstagram

Copyright © 2021 UFCW Canada. All Rights Reserved
United Food and Commercial Workers Union
Canada's private sector union