HAZEL Hilda railway pylons.
ber of women in Sheffield me, particularly week.
ber the River explaned.
Kathleen, over it.
killed!' pittance.
ALLEN, Kathleen Barker, Pauline Sendrawich and Banks work production line as table drivers in the Cargo Fleet steciworks Middlesbrough. Working Shot metal they prodace lines, It's a dirty, Brian Grogan talked to Chers on the picket tines in Teesside las "The work is not what is typical of WOmE have traditionally done t my mother did it before ne', •We find few proo working alongside men but me l work the shift systemE including nights."
"The heat can be terrible', added 'the red hot metal passes underneath 'is and we have to step We have to concentrate -and you could Despite the dangerous conditions and anti-social hours the 24 women who work as table drivers receive a 'We take home between £40 and f45 per week. This includes a bonus which on average is between t/ and f9 per week.' This is nothing like the men's take home pay.
The maximum bonus the women can earn is 50 per cent while the men can push their bonuses up to 175 per iR cent.
Complacent Management and union officials alike Comp acent blatant women. Despite equal pay legislation worden are kept on low pay scaks by ensuring that their alongside the lowest grace for men in the factory.
aiegory, although it's equal work tr the met's Jobs , "Thart are of course sonne jobs un conkin't do, but our lowest in the factory along with the "utility sparehand" the women are off sick the men in this grade refuse to cover for them because of the low bonus rates. get 'We have raised the issue in our union branch and we've been told that the difference productivity. The men sold more jobs than we did so they get a differential for whether this is true or not because it all happened before I started here.' The demand about such discrimination against the years and we've jobs are grader woren picketing. in its orin would Haze explained.
per cen grade is the grade." When are thinking due Without produced.
because they've haven't. got any special demands themselves. of the men on the lower grades only take home £40 odd a week. But if we had a special increase for low-paid workers then the higher grades mould restored. Hilda thought it world be their differentials a good time to press home some of their own demands though.
and een ve never been for 1 26 Dever beca get the women togethe the three shift system. Most of the are active . Nos I've beta mad the for together. Were all in fence of 2 good 'If we just gor a with the men it wood How then me get back a a bor to get all the women belind is aad al the men because they'll be affectod nothing would "The men say they'd support us seen how pulled our weight in the strike.' Socialist Challenge : 14 February 1980' Page 3