A program to celebrate International Women’s Day was organised by the Maharashtra State Electricity Workers’ Federation (MSEWF) in Pune on 8th March. Com Bharti Bhoyar, President of the Women’s Front of MSEWF, chaired the meeting. Com Bhoyar emphasised the need for women to fight shoulder to shoulder with their male co-workers, in order to win and defend their rights, as workers and as women. She called upon the large number of women activists present at the meeting to come forward and present their views.
Ms Sheena Agarwal of Purogami Mahila Sangathan was the chief guest. She made a detailed slide show presentation to highlight her views. Starting with the glorious history of International Women’s Day, she explained that for women to be liberated, we have to fight with the aim of ending exploitation and oppression of all human beings. We have to fight for a system in which the economy is geared towards maximising the well-being of all who work, rather than maximising the profits of a handful of capitalists. For that we need to establish the rule of the toilers, of which half are women. She hailed the vital role women have been playing in various struggles in the past few years, such as in the struggle against the CAA and NRC, and in the year-long protest by kisans at the borders of Delhi. She elaborated on the struggle that Purogami Mahila Sangathan has been waging in defence of the rights of women. She spoke of the role played by PMS in the struggle of the workers of MSEWF and other organisations against privatisation. The slide show presentation of Purogami Mahila Sangathan was greatly appreciated.