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Women across Iceland walked off the job to protest wage differences between men and women, working a shorter day since they get paid less for the same work, officials said.

At 2:08 pm (1408 GMT), on Oct 24, 2005, tens of thousands of women left their jobs after working 64 percent of the day, in an action marking the 30th anniversary of the first such walk-out on the remote North Atlantic island which has one of the highest standards of living in the world.

In 1975, a handful of women marked the first Women's Day in Iceland by working only 64 percent of the day, since they were on average only paid 64 percent of what men were paid for equal work.

The idea spread, and on October 24 that year, thousands of women walked off the job at 2:08 pm, bringing some of the largest companies in the country to a standstill.

This year was no different, though this time the event was officially sanctioned.

Even the mayor of Reykjavik herself, Steinunn Valdis Oskarsdottir, encouraged women working at city hall to walk out, saying: "I would ask that employers in Iceland respect the wishes of women who wish to leave work at this time."

"Women in Iceland have made some achievements, but there's still a long way to go. I hope that this day will encourage men in this country to think about why women are still getting paid less than men in this country," she said.

Ahead of the walk-out, employers were preparing to scale back operations, in particular at places of employment where staff was made up mostly of women.

Atli Atlason, the managing director of human resources for Landsbanki, Iceland's largest bank, told AFP that 68 percent of the bank's employees were women.

"I guess most if not all of them will take the day off today," he said. "So we've decided to shut down all of our branches at 2:00 pm today, except for the main headquarters."

Atlason said none of the women who took part in the walk-out would be reprimanded. "They will be paid for the whole day."

Hrafnhildur Sigurgisladottir, director of an elderly care home, told AFP that she expected "many" of her employees to leave at 2:08 pm.

"This will unfortunately mean that we won't be able to give our residents the kind of service they expect," she said, "but we'll find a way to function somehow."

According to the Reykjavik Merchant's Union, the current wage difference between men and women in Iceland is 14 percent, with the greatest difference among men and women in the 40-49 age group.

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