seeks to unite the fight of workers against the with that of other oppressed layers o1 societ! - women, black people. liberation. This socialism can oniy struggling be achieved by creating new organs ur power and octealing win ali necessary means the power of the capitalist state. 2 than wha Our will more democratic I than what exists in Brifain today. full rights political parties and currents that do not take up arms against the socialist state. The Stalinist models of socialism in the ssk and Fastern Europe have discredited socialism in the eyes of millions of throuchout the He are opposed to them and will support lo fighting for socialist democracy.
• i he interests of workers and Jon a world scale. Capitalism has nol only created market. it hai created politics. Thus we tight for working class unus on an scale. This unity will in the long run ve decisive i acreadng Dord the imperialist regimes in the West and the brutal dictatorships they sustain in latin America. and Asia.
e immediate pies dramald ing immediate withdrawal British troops from letting the Irish people determine meir own sulure.
The Communist parties in Europe are in crisis. Neither 'Eurocommunist' the pro-Moscow wings have any meaningful for overthrow of the capitalist state. New revolutionary socialist parties are necessary than Conditions today more favourable than over the preceding three decades. But such parties can only be rejecting sectarianism and seeing internal democracy not as a luxury but as a vital necessity. This means the right to organise factions and lendencies.
If you agree with these principles and want he involved activities by Socialist Challenge supporters in your area, fill in the form below and send it to us.
• I am interested in information about activities in my area. • I would like additional literature and enclose 50p to cover costs. (Delete il not applicable) for all needed for Wing a trivial concern. all those women do not really ty' dress.
common onsense her time cleaning word stick of lipstick.
and, LITe Case because family's survival.
Africa Faster Ireland and without you necessary and what is not!
nor penditure. the ever security departments, are take part-time built by Because lobs more often than men are based on length of continuous in 1c cases in the present economic climate.
rectice women's more through Parliament.
tion women minimum 16-hour less than six PIN money is a term that was coined in the late 19th century to describe women's wages. 'Money for pins' was needed because of the very high cost of steel pins dressmaking: it had nothing to do with their wages beToday the term is taken to mean that need to work; their wages are deemed to be necessary only to pay for une odd nalr-ao, lpsuck, or pret As many women will tell you, this is No woman Soard. lavatories, washing other peoples' clothes, serving up meals in canteens, or typing out endless cuters 1or c Women work because they cannot live without a regular income wone. their income is vital to their women's unemployment rose three times faster than men's. As it continues to shoot up, both male and renae workers wi reaise now vital La female wage is - when you have to do soon realise is One reason for the rapid increase in female employment is the cuts in social exWomen, who constitute 42 per cent of the total workforce in Britain, are concentrated in the public and services sector They staff the schools, nurseries, social and hospitals.
When these are cut. women's iobs go Fifty-two per cent of women workers ChiDiulcul because Because their domestic a . their domestic duties women are also likely to have to change 1 IS that employment protection laws, Which service and the number of hours worked. leave a large number of women vulnerable to the whims of ruthless employers. At the same likelihood women's jobs will be among the first to go The new Tory Employment Bill will opportunities even further if it is allowed to go maternity rights. Under existing legislaare required WOCK two years before they are entitled to paid pregnancy leave. No provision exists for fathers to get paid for time off when their child is being SUTt The Tories want firms which employ workers not have to give women men loos back ir cacy Icave to nave a child. And any employer will be allowed to offer worther a 'suitable alternative WOMEN against the Tories ment Bill ranner man neowe ot back The Tories also want to increase the red tape involved in obtaining pregnancy leave. If women don't write all the right letters they'll end up losing their job after having a child.
there s no reason wav smal firms should be exempt from allowing women maternity leave. 'A fund was set up to en unal empovers number of female workers were not forking out more than their fair share.
Fromoro desses for women wil •De hyndered if they are not guaranteed the right to return to their own job. All women have every reason to oppose the Employwith the sack under this new legislation.
Employee!
people and which have only been going for two years will not be allowed to protest to industrial tribunal if they think they have been unfairly dismissed.
Tribunals will be asked to consider the size and resources of an undertaking when Vitall of proof will lie with the employee not the employer as in the past, and even where large untair dismissal is proved, the minimum award of two weeks' wages will no longer apply.
One-year fixed contracts are suggested • as a way of employers avoiding the embar* rassment of tribunals altogether. ine unscrupuious The men week.
Decline dramatically trade VUL their rights trade dividual balloting, every reason in firms with less than 20 cond The burden these attacks there.
For a copy: of Grays 01-2786349, are reluctant to attend tribunals for fear of dismissal themselves, particularly if they many women are not.
The clauses relating to unfair dismissal in the Employment Bill are a charter fo fly-by-night employers employees workplaces_than men, and the Bill gives such employers a host of escape clauses.
The Tories are also willing to allow pockets of low pay to spread in industry Sev so remove scree . a 021c which allows employees to ensure that they are not being paid a lower rate than bie general level agreca between une bosse and the unions. This has eliminated some but by no means all pockets of low pay in Equal Pay Act and the Sex Discrimination Act have proven useless in giving women equal status at work wit - both in terms of the jobs women do and their pay levels.
Women's rates of pay actually declined between 1978 and 1979 . The Low Pay Unit discovered that one in five WUlC naireressers earned less that tot a week while 60 per cent received less than f40 a Employers will be allowed to cut wages even more, to increase competition, and women's wages will further decline if the Employment Bill becomes law.
Unionisation of women has increased Das lu vcars Thirty-two per cent of women are now union members. The massive turn TUC-sponsored aDorLol demonstration, and the increasing number of women prepared to take industrial ac tion to get their union recuziscu, as a show That women trades unionists are becoming increasingly conscious of the need to actively fight for Not only does the Employment Bill attack them as women but it attacks them as unionists througl action and encouraging inwhere the mass media call mel vcle will an anu-rade umon da to influence the vote.
Women have every reason to work; every reason to ion trade unions. and to fight back against the Tories' brutal legislation. An opportunity to discuss how women active in the labou movement can do tas will come at the se Women's Fightback conference to be held in Birmingham, Digbeth Hall, o1 Saturdav and Sundav 21 and 22 June you want to be involved in pushing back on women you should be All the details in this article are based on a report on the Employment. Bill by Rights of Women, a group of women lawyers the - Tel
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report, contact: 374 Road, London Wat