MOST low-paid workers are women.
make up two-thirds of all workers earning less than £60 week, and our average hourly earnings dropped since 1977 from 75 to 73 per cent of men's hourly rate.
has been either the Equal Pay and Discrimination Acts, he COLCCLIV bargaining agreements made by trade of LOVEL many smaller firms employins the majority of wolel workers A report by the Low Pay Unit, Миттим wares o women The number of women working in the distributive trades and industries has risen in 1959 to women are largely confined food, drink, tobacco, clothing, footwear tex.
tile and electrical And Women are concerted among the : lowest grades, even in they are a majority.
The report how wage councils have failed women workers. Not on.
are rates set by the councils low, are cheating workers out of millions of pounds a year. group. don't Survey of Women's and wood.
. equal An early leaflet une fighting until the women of this country have full rights harter carried a similar promise.
discrimination against women in removal public •Wal for work of men arrechens berweet and trade unions.
touch That legal rights for women through 4. That the TUC leads and coordinates a national action campart of the Sane it he can at re idea industry, with the • mmedate ratification of the ILO Conven tion 100, ASTMS equal value In practice the campaign cenWillie dustries covered councils do not even know existence 1O1 are Wage Orders nublicised. Ti industries union membership is at its lowest are nominally but controlled by Ine employers, The maximum for failing to with the rates is f100 half the fine you pay for not having a TV licence any 1978 tred on Canstoone Norbraincaes women's organisations. joint mal relationship committee vowed that paign, local NJACCWER in ever 1969.
education poster The inclusion of equal pa colar value It all employers thousand them active in the unions enforce equal ed uPhere Derore solidarity namese women accor- perialism.
decision at the take their placards away specifying equal pay for tions out of a total of 10,624 Case brought There ust lou musoectors covere Sul turms and tne covernment the reduced The Equal Pay Act made no citerence t • women !
The Report says the Act is less ef industrial roots ya roots' It: own Inere is no mention ol the equal pay demand. uvull zicw apace. rom umo ike myset. Inosi and While such bodies had no for When to the general should eading the Can often com Fort and heit Civide rally held on mpaigi Latives oca their children. committee There one along er pard St in London.
On the dav of the march and poured with rain - turnwas an argument just march group brought placards expressVieti fighting US im11 Te women didn't There had also been a row at a grow.
campaign's Most of the women who attended committee London.
measures tackle segregation, which the TUC acscroca in a reccul discus sion cocument as une mal imbeciment women' women who take a cen outside the home are forced to work part-ume.
The Low Pay Unit TeDOr recommends recruitment drive trade priority being a struggle for the two-monthly meeling were : who helped to set up women's liberation groups we proposed that there creche meetings, uproar broke out. The • was ne ween younger women official represen WIll azlast al lc women • nOI •Dong will Since only members of the the pro. posal for a creche was lost ¡any or tac yoursel wolfel want democrance cne can structures to new members. But wa extremely and the Tees joining were so high that smaller alic WUnCH S groups couldn't afford them.
continued to Fred was over worked and I had been helping ed to resign as secretary he pro Lae union meetings during work hours so that women workers car attend the Equal. Oppor Lunue. Commission trade unions report are serious about : wages basic mummum waces oral workers in Inese maustries and launch programmes o designed help Walth take more highly paid and skilled JODS LO GO SO The available from 1 the Low Pay 9 Poland St London JUscu as mis replacement Jolted Marxist uroup in 1968 and wa: well-known as a Trotskyist was the only per nominated membe the Norwood the Labour MP , was in the chair and leclared nominations re-opened IVOL WOUl little to build the campaign, and it wasn't long before i With the 1970 Equal Pay Ac hard campaigning Wa needed. There were plenty of oro-. DosaTs. such as holding factory gate meetings at selected ted plant and • Party conferences.
Explaining the other aims of the charter would also have beer a good idea, especially with th support that would have been the in oving women's hawaiicul man) ways uic callualkl retlected the democracy in the labour move its shortcomings NJACCWER showed that work ing women were prepared to fight ¡nal liant con tinued into the '70s
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WIV 3DG. Price 50p Photo: CHRIS DAVIS