NAC conference shortly later where some feminists argued strongly tor the campaign to be limited to women only (thereby cutting it off from the labour movement in terms of membership and affiliation).
Such an attitude is not only unfortunate. It is dangerous. Do these feminists seriously believe that unions are a threat to women's rights? Do they seriously believe that the TUC - which was fighting for abortion rights - can be placed in the same category as the government which was trying to curb them?
SHORT-SIGHTED How do these feminists expect to be able to rebuff Tory attacks except by unity with their most powerful allies? And what do they say to those millions of women who are union members and whose fight, within the unions, was key in getting the TUC to support NAC?
This doesn't mean, of course, that unions — or the Labour Party -will 'spontaneously' defend women's rights Moreover, in many unions, women - while being an overwhelming majority of the members - are grossly under-represented at all levels. In CAWU, for example, there are only three women on the Executive whe temae member hop stands at 72%c.
POTENTIAL This position clearly has to be challenged. It can only be challenged, however, by women being in the unions and fighting for them to take up issues of female discrimination. The fact that the TUC and Labour Party were won over on the crucial question of abortion rights shows the potential that exists.
The need to be in the unions paign Launched child care provisions and make resources available for all children under 5 and after-school centres for those who require them.
If you are interested in affiliat(NUT) fighting for them to pioneer women's rights is going to be doubly important in the years ahead when the Tories have launched a direct attack of female employment. This has now become a central question of women's rights.
It is only by being part of the labour movement the anti-union laws, the cuts etc -that women's rights to a job can be protected. This doesn't mean that women don't have specific rights to advance, but they can best advance these by organising within the general struggles of the labour move. ment against the Tories' attacks.
CAUCUSES Key to doing this will be setting up women's caucuses in the unions where women can discuss their specific problems and fight to get the unions as a whole to support their demands. Such caucuses already exist in unions like ASTMS and the NUT.
A similar action must be undertaken in the Labour Party. The women's sections must be turned from organising 'garden fetes' into caucases fighting to advance women's demands inside the party. Building actions in the unions and on the streets, women's caucases could become a way of taking them into she Latcar Party and pledging it to a programme or women s rights when it returns to office.
Key issues could be the struggle for an adequate child-care system, for abortion rights and for 'affirmative action' for women's rights.
It is only in this way the struggle of women as part of the general struggle against the Tory offensive - that we will be able to defend (let alone extend) our rights in the coming years.
ing to the NCCC - or finding out more about it - contact: NCCL.
Surrey Docks Child Care Project, Dockland Settlement, Redriff Rd, London SE 16. Affiliation:
£2.50 (indiv), £5 (local groups).
£15 (national organisations). the country now find themselves in. It is now one year since the victorious revolution took place in the Central American republic of Nicaragua. A.D. Scott reviews the position that the 2½ million gallant workers and peasants of