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09.03.2026 / News /

UVW Takes to the Streets for International Women Workers’ Day

UVW marked International Women Workers’ Day on the streets on Sunday 8 March, joining comrades in the Feminist Assembly of Latin Americans (FALA) bloc at the International Feminist Strike. In a vibrant display of collective resistance and feminist solidarity, thousands mobilised to highlight the deep connections between violence, exploitation, and gender inequality in our workplaces, communities, and homes. 

The atmosphere was energetic and determined, protesters marched through central London chanting, singing and dancing for dignity, safety, and justice for women and gender-oppressed people everywhere. 

In preparation for the march, Nelly Ospino (they/them), General Secretary-Elect at UVW, hosted a small event at Casa UVW to celebrate the contributions of women and gender non-conforming people across the union. Ospino highlighted the invaluable work female and gender-diverse migrant workers provide to care for others in education, childcare, facilities cleaning, and other essential sectors. Too often this labour goes unseen and unrecognised, leaving frontline workers marginalised in their workplaces and communities. 

Speaking alongside our sisters, comrades and the wider feminist movement on Sunday, Ospino said, “At UVW we see ourselves as political subjects not objects, who have agency despite being made precarious by patriarchy. We are of the understanding that under capitalism we are all workers, and therefore have the responsibility of joining and participating in a militant trade union to dismantle oppressive systems that affect our class.” 

In addition to speeches, Warmis UK, the Ecuadorian folk-dance group, consisting of mostly UVW members, performed a cultural dance of resistance. Their name ‘Warmis’ comes from the Quechuan word warmi, meaning strong women who are keepers of tradition, caregivers, and skilled artisans—embodying the spirit of the protest.  

By celebrating the leadership of migrant women in UVW on International Women Workers’ Day, we carry the fight for dignity and justice in our workplaces and communities forward. Join UVW and the movement, share this story, and uplift migrant women workers’ voices.  

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