the International Marxist Group THIS weekend at the Festival for Women's Rights, Margaret Thatcher is to be charged with crimes against women. She stands accused of the betrayal of her sex for the sake of her class.
Her crimes are familiar. Female unemployment is up 207 per cent since 1975, compared to 61 per cent for men.
per cent fewer abortions have been done on the NHS during the past two years.
Inflation, cuts in social spending housing, welfare and education which the Tories say is community care actually that women will bear extra responsibility.
The testival aims to bring various periences in order to identify the attacks-and what they mean. It is also about how we build a women's movement that can fight these attacks on our rights and all Oppressed groups in society to bring down the government. until 1984. We can't stop Tory policies without finishing off the Tories themselves.
Women workers from Lee Jeans and Royal Pride are showing the way. They will be at the festival to assert that 'women's jobs are as important as men's' and that women have the right to work. They don't accept Tory myths that women should go back into the home and give jobs to men and they mand that the labour whole shouldn't accept them either.
Women are beginning to organise right in tha heart of the labour mu s. ment - in the trade unions and the Labour Party. Despite rising unemployment, women continue to greater rate then me res union for example, female almost 250 percent in 10 ICHIDCISIID has gone y cals Snecial women's sub. committees are the transport municipal workers' unions.
women's are abandoming unel previous role of organising jumble sales to become real campaigning bodies. Issues As Marcella Fitzgerald, who is in the Post Office Union says: 'In British Teleconis we are trying to get women organised so that we are strong enough to work out demands and then make sure the union takes them up.
wall tu discuss with other women at the festival who are doing the same sort of thing. women fight that is impor- how tant but also the which we fight arouna Some unions are taking up the discussion on positive guaranice women a minimum share Handing the charge sheet to Thatcher •of jobs when companies are hiring. This should be raised the demand for discriminatory lay-offs.
The future Labour government should law lo back us bosuver tion in favour of women's right to work. It also has to change the law on abortion, making it mandatory for the NHS to provide a service for all regardless of where they live, decriminalising abortion and giving women the absolute right to make the decision on this question.
The importance of the debates in the trade unions and Labour Party on the questions of and accountability which focus on Tony Benn's candidacy for of the LP should not be underestimated The right-wing leadership of the Labour Party has done virtually nothing for women The Equal Pay and the Sex Discrimination Acts, which were instituted by Labour proved 1T8adequate to meet the needs of women.
One blessing of the recent disputes in the party has been that anti-aborwithout sterilisation abuse China, Brazi Maldanado/Mary Duffy/African Dawr Tickets: whole day £3 (f2 IS RIGHT TO CHOOSE tionist Shirley Williams has disappeared.
Women should take up their demands in the trade unions and Labour Party part of the politica discussion around Benn's candidacy and ask all the questions of women's rights In order to bring down the Tory government we A day in solidarity with women around the world fighting for safe contraception, legal abortion, and afternoor , Spain Holland, Namibia Songs and Theatre Film : Blood of the Condo aru vice evening African dinner by the Calabash restaurant/cabaret by Jale niuc/mcmator usc menre ano ‹ance fr roduced by Maggie Steed, includes Mayapi, Carme Spring Rive Pauline Melville, Steel'n Skir unwaged) I evening £2 (1.50 unwaged) dinner £1.50.
London N1 [ecc trap) have to develop a national perspective to take action against the Tories on issues like the nuclear arms race on child care, on abortion and unemployment.
And a vital part of ol job is to give solidarity an support to women struggle against this government like the women from Lee Jeans.
Socialist Challenge 7 May 1981" Pago 13"
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RIGHT 10 D TALS RIGHT TO H
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DAY OF ACTION SQUARE LION 1981 HALL
FOR WOMENS IGHT AGAINST THE TORY TACKS MAY FESTIVAL