Sw by the Tory government's slicies. It should focus on the tys in which women are fighting ck: like in Lee Jeans, Hoover, e women who were on tople's March, Staffa, turence Scott.
Making the AES the central ncern means directing attention paper policies and away from e need for people to fight for organised by Action emselves. The only way to enare a future Labour government, uly committed to women's ghts, 1s by relying on mass acon both to win our policies and 3 see that they are carried out.
And you can't isolate just one spect of the AES from the rest. here are other parts of the AES hich I would be unhappy with, ke import controls.
o you think there are any pecific policies which should e highlighted by this event? UDY: I think women should use FOR A WOMAN'S RIGHT to WORK this opportunity tion policies to be adopted. the are and to go unchallenged.
Public Meeting to launch A Woman's Right to Work Demonstration Wednesday December 9 7.30pm South Bank Poly, Rotary St, London SE1 Joyce Richardson Party)
Susan Shell Fran O'Grad Judith Hunt (TASS for policies the men.
action policies women's against to focus on positive action and to fight in the labour movement for positive acfacing a situation where women are often the first to be pushed out of jobs. When everybody is facing unemployment, it is extremely divisive for the labour movement to allow this Labour this As socialists, we want to fight which full employment, like work sharing on. with no loss of pay, a thirty five hour week and so on. Along with this we have to oppose any idea that women aren't really workers, that their primary role in society is that of wives and mothers, that women should leave the jobs for Work.
We need to argue for positive which assert equal right to a job: discriminatory lay-offs, greater access to retraining for women; positively encouraging women to take up jobs in traditionally male preserves, opening up apprenticeships to women.
We should be arguing for the next Labour government to commit itself to enforce such policies through legislation.
How would you like to see the Party build support?
ELLY: We hope that the Labour Party will be prepared to set up an working party Labour Party, trade union and women's group representatives could work together.
Wide involvement from those organisations fighting for women's rights would ensure that, while the focus was going to be on a Woman's Right to Work, all those issues which underpin right were not forgotten. Issues such as woman's right to control her fertility, adequate nursery provision, no discrimination against lesbian women and so women would argue that, at a time when all women's rights are under attack, it is wrong to organise a national demonstration around a Woman's Right to What do you about this argument?
JUDY: In a situation women's unemployment is rising at twice the rate of men's and where women are being forced back into the home and out of the workforce, focus on this question. If women can't be economically dent then there's no way they can gain any of their other rights. It's within this context that we have to look at to women within the family.
The Tory attacks on social services which workload at ideological mounting against mothers and wives end up meaning that women will not be allowed to go out to work. They will bo forced into a situation where the all have no choice but to stay at It's this attempt to reassert women's role as primarily mother and wife which will have a profound affect on every aspect of women's rights and lives.
What do you think are the next steps we should be taking to build the and how can we ensure that the original proposal for a of demonstration is also taken up?
JUDY: The Labour Party/TUC liaison committee will be meeting think soon to discuss the TUC backing the call for a festival. We want as many resolutions through Labour Party and trade union bodies calling for there to be a national demonstration as it's crucial that we indepen- Work. In happening to regional increase women's the they are ing a working Have you locally now?
women's Hackney, festival nationally everywhere. possible and well, leading to the festival.
Already, regional activity is being organised in support of the slogan of a Woman's Right to Wales, the women's sub-committee of the Welsh TUC has called a demonstration on International Women's Day. hope that people will try to get the TUC's to organise similar events so that we can build up to a massive event next June. The Action Committee is organisPublic Meeting on December to launch the build up for the demonstration and on 20 February there will be a national organising conference.
Many ideas about what people should be doing ELLY: There are already number of local conferences be ing organised around the issue.
Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle are all conferences around women and unemployment. This is one idea that could be taken up Local mobilising committees and planning groups with their own set of local activities to build up to 5 June will be important. We hope that the idea of focusing national event around Woman's Right to Work will help to strengthen the existing struc tures and groups in the labour women's movements ог perhaps will help to get them where they don't exist.
Socialist Challenge 3 December 1981 page 9
Socialist Challenge Scotland