And the Labour Pareyes more than ever organisation in the not one of the problock vote to avoid delegates to return Tric NhS MARCH & RALL Photo by JOHN HARRIS Socialist Challenge 9 October 1902 following lines:
of ordinary women pay in the NHS, school and nursery women's strength transform the mass • Pushing forward force the next labour tually implement changes. The exposal on the structhat would really women's conference seriously - and give tion to LP women's them a block vote members in their then mean that both ed and the votes for women members of ment should make a Tories and re-launch next year's conTo win this battle of the party and the mon cause. The batentering the corridors of power. Woman Delegates seconded organisation discussion, rights.
Why do you think the NEC opposed the resolutions on women's organisaThey feel threatened by women's organisations Ine Party. The: recognise women are aligning with the left for example, women's conference the Falklands and called for out NATO.
rellects the more radical position of wome a5 a wole because Ine are under such heavy atSylvia Jones, APEX, argued against your resolu on the grounds she got to her position on her merits. The implication was that special measures in favour of women, and women should not be -SLO ported.
Women are forced to organise because it is the only way to combat male domination.
denies that women have merit? Then aren't they represented proportio to their abilities.
ment ace dominated by demand representation inal accords to our con tribution.
Is there a conflict between the unions and the CLPS on this issue?
The issue has been Iscusse in the Until this vear the women's conference didn't have trade union delegations.
At the base of the unions women confront the same problems. And Sylvia, for example, is in a big contradiction because the E11OII SUBDOTE positive discrimination against the employers but not in the Labour ParEvery member is also a Trade Unionist. We have to take the issues into the union branches. We also nave to use campaigns, such as the Abortion Campaign, reach out TO union members. Then we can ensure there is a discussion in affiliated unions.
What do you think of the proposal for a block vote at the women's conference?
I support it. The union delegates threw it into the discussion try Cand seconded one from Composin composites spoke Socialist Challenge about the discussion on women's deflect the argument for women's conference say, would force the unions to discuss their dolley wome and it would wake up rank and Ille women to what male bureaucrats are doing on their behalf.
And not just talking about WOWLICIE issues. I would be very happy if the unions had to dicuss the resolution we passed on the Falklands.
But we would have to ask who clected the delegates. We don't just male wheeler dealering in smoke-filled Women in the unions would have organise to enforce their views We spoke to of Birmingham Ladywood, who moved composite 40 propos ing election of NEC women's section delegates from women's conference.
IT'S A QUESTION powe ROHE NOTE Who control it tin rank and file or a couple of bloc votes in their hands? I/ the vomen conference chose NEC delegates eleen saddled WOWNE HOVE Gwyneth Dunwoodie judging by the heckling she got.
We want representation because want power:
been passing hons on women 5 tighis to I wasn't attacking womer to see more activity from rank file unionists in the Party. I don" want a split between CLP as a whole and the controllers of the movement Ine e these pr some the SEPTE who get a career them and think that's My experience in USDAI attitude on the shopfloor is different.
don't want to women who struggle in the • attitude tha can that gets up my nose Can women in the CLPs link up with those in the union branches?
Not just women! The pro blem with the Labour Party is that it's too oriented to parliament and should spend much more time on the picket lines. We'dlearn a lot more in struggle than in same time if you want to involve the shopfloor The a bone WOEFORTHE Trade unionists shoud get involved in the Party because aren't political parties - in theory anyway.