A silent march up Trafalgar St by hundreds on Saturday was perhaps the most sombre chapter to date in local women pushing for pay equity.
Women’s Day of Action in Nelson was led by ‘mourners’ dressed in black with pallbearers carrying coffins in close succession. They were “laid to rest” on the Nelson Cathedral steps, representing the protesters’ belief that trust, equity and democracy had died under the current government, which cancelled pay equity claims for those working in schools, libraries, hospitals, aged care, and disability support.
Eulogies by three local female workers were read, and the protest concluded with a pledge to resurrect what was buried by remaining in the pay equity fight.
