Trade UNIONISES should for such committees every union as an aid to tacklIn g the of working women.
Many unions are producing special material. More is needed for mass distribution the schools and workplaces: trade union journals should have Consistent coverage and unions should sponsor frequent 02 y schools localities on women's rights. Beliefs Yet the myth of man the woman the maker underlies the vulnerability women as workers, and have scarce y begun to tackle these deeply-held views.
Because of the belief inat a woman's Diace 1s in the home, we receive little job training. Because of our job in the home we often take partume bala work and nave great difficulty attending Central to this view is the division men's and women's iobs The Equal Opportunity Commission® says that the maior problem preventing the increase of women's earnings is the job segregation of the labour market.' Marie Patterson, Women's says. "Job segregation is the biggest stumbling block to equal rights at work' The unions should fight for all jobs to be open to women and campaign for positive action in law and in practice to end job segregation.
The Sex Discrimination needs has to that women suffer from past discrimination and lilal collocusatory mea sures need be introduced.
I ne section of the Act dealing employers should make it obligatory for them to review their employment practices, and disproportionately resented. goals need to set to increase the number of women.
In addition, positive action clauses should be mandatory with severe penalties for HUSS compliance.
The commission has suggested amendments to the sex discrimi. nation legislation and to the Equal Pay Act. Experience ha. more thar demonstrated the inability of these Acts to defend EOC still fails to tackle the main problem - job segregation.
Instead it tinkers with the most obvious abuses, such as discrimination in sports and social clubs, and the commission does not call for any effective legal enforcement for its proposals.
It is false to argue, as does the TUC's recent positive action, that voluntal and changes in the law are counterposed.
needed is a combinaHOT OLDOLA Unions are traditionaliv against laws which restrict their abilivlo runcuon. lor exam. ple the Industrial Relation. laws which establish rights can be used bv unions to enforce their collective bargaining To take special measures favour oI women in filling jobs is at present against the law Action and argument all Jobs women and impose legal Cuula. should be taken up by the unions now.
Just as some unions have made nursery provision, maternity and paternity leave part of their collective bargaining agreements, , so questions of female ment ticeship entry and onthe-job training should be part of every trade union programme. Action It will need a com bination of political and industrial action bv the labour and women's movements bring about the structural changes in society that can even partially guarantee equality women at work The bosses stand how important it is to define women as wives and mothers first workers second. It gives them grounds for low Jay. menial jobs, and places the responsibility for child-care on womer laurel lan sociely as e whole.
The notion that women aren't worth training because they'l!
pregnant and quit has legal and political support. This is why restricting abortion rights remains a central way in which the rightwing SECAS women.
Timothy Sainsbury MP decided not to pursue a Private Members Bill against abortion this opposition which confronted him. Abortion women out of the labour The drive force will be augmented by cuts in family planning clinics, health service abortion facilities, and behind-the-scene restrictions by the DHSS charitable clinics.
Trade union action during the campaign Corrie anti-abortion showed what could be achieved The unions should now be committed to the pro posals of the Labour ADOLLIOLI Rights Campaign on legislation make abortion facilitie mandatory on the NHS If such a law is to be won, delegates to the Labour Party annual conference need be mandated to oppose the VOLe MPS on abortion, and the next Labour governm committed to implement this legislation.
The delegate comer nee •Working Women held or 1980's IS I0 February /vam-4pm Congress House, Great Russell Stree!
WCI For information 01-636 4030 exi
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