Women's Freedom Movement march to demand equality

KUALA LUMPUR: Employees in different industries have been urged to understand their rights in their workplace to avoid being oppressed.
The situation is especially dire for women, a large number of whom make up the workforce, Women's Freedom Movement representative Sharifah Nursyahidah Syed Annuar said when met here after a peaceful assembly at the Sogo Shopping Mall today.
"The gathering is to demand for equality, among others, because some women are oppressed at work. This includes their wages which should be the same as men.
"We also demand a revision for maternity leave because some women may find that having two to three months is not enough.
"Last year it was noted 30,000 workers were terminated from various sectors, including the airline industry – this is a worrying trend because it affects their families too," the 29-year-old activist, who is also a lecturer at a university, here said.
She went on to applaud Maybank's recent announcement that it will offer extended maternity leave of up to 365 days for eligible female employees within the group with immediate effect.
Leading up to May 1, which is International Workers' Day, she said that discussions will be held with other participants to finalise another potential gathering, she said.
Discussions will be held with members and supporters leading up to May 1, dubbed Labour Day, which is a global celebration of labourers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labour movements.
She said discussions will include meeting workers at some factories to get them to sign petition demanding for equality in salary.
Earlier, some 40 rally participants gathered at the mall and marched to Masjid Jamek as a show of solidarity for women's rights in conjunction with International Women's Day.