READING through two articles on women in the Militant (26 June) recently, I was struck with the familiarity of the arguments they advanced in opposition to positive action for women.
When I first joined my union the National Union of Railwaymen - I went up to union headGudELCS ask about special structures and facilities for women.
I was told that no such structures existed because, after women are no different from men. I was such facilities would be to the lEVILC avisUis union.
As I'd just got a job where I'm the only woman in my section and I'd been through intimidating all interviewing alu SCXISL process to get it, 1 was in 1100G such platitudes!
Heather Rawlings' article about the Labour Party Women's Conference makes exactly the same points as the NUR administrator.
She says: delegates were putting forward demands for positive diseriminatior measures like job quotas Incsc uculanas be used to divide the working class along sex lines... such demands in a time of recession and slump will HO I mobilise men and unify all workers'.
Logic other words, divisions exist, but even if iney ao, WOlolE right mention it in a ume or recession.
In the same issue of Militant Margaret Creeai argues that positive action Wole CrCale HIOTC jobs and that positive action within the structures of the labour Huvcllicill would be a 'shortcut' to INVO VIng WOIECH would produce female officials elected because sex rather than sitability.
Of the argupositive action does not create more jobs IS CulLe correci if you accept the logic of the bosses and are prepared to shoulder the responsibility for their crisis.
Fiat accept logic that DoCaNs Challenge sup porters. fight around the cemald 35-hour week, and work sharing with no loss of pay and for has received Women's movement.
Hazel MacPherson with Marxism.
Painting, Repetitive Assembling, Product Inspecting, Packaging and related 18.3% Making and 12.3% Repairing (excluding Metal and Electrical)
Source: Department of Employment, New Earnings Survey 1979.
fight for minimum The positive action for a woman's right to work cannot be seen in isolation from these other demands.
The workers at the Fiat factory Turin are among the most militant and politically conscious in Europe. They won their fight for asliding scale of wales Somc wHc went on to fight for and win demands for positive action for women. They now have a fixed quota of per cent for women workers. Their class action won this right for women workers.
Unless women win the argument for positive acand the Labour Coultas - former staff writer on Socialist Challenge - and the railCatering, Cleaning, Hairdressing and other Personal Services 53.8% 15.6% Others Manual 'The overall picture is one of continued and increased concentration of women into the lowest grades tion within the labour movement, we will never achieve our aims. Only the organised labour movement • Canl win a wollan s right to work. Focus That's why we need to fight for special structures amacmue wolcu which recognise that, DISCIL WOlkls wotel do not look automatically to the labour movement as for their GOCUS UWI struggles. And those that do, don't feel competent to play a leading role.
Special training programmes, D alCI NECCLings in working hours and Professional and related in Education, Welfare and Health 24.9% 13.3% Selling WOMEN'S WORK in the 80's.
similar measures would ensure that reserved places would be filled by large numbers of women the necessary self-confidence and expertise. Militant advocate the unity of the class on the basis of the lowest common denominator, and it is ironic that they .do because that is precisely the concept put forward by the right wing of the Labour Party to stifle debate and stop the move towards sand anerr democracy involvement within the Party If Militant continue to abstain on the „questions WaCI HOS divide the class, if they fail to take up the rights of women then they place temselves firmly on the side of reaction.
Clerical and related 54.7% 7.1% Others Non-manual of white and blue collar work. CIS Report: Women LATEST issue out now.
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opposition. Valerie
POSITIVE action for women's rights widespread support within the labour movement. Both the
Women's conference supported posi- tive action proposals. Opposition to the idea has generally come from the right wing bureaucrats in the labour But now the Militant - which describes itself as a Marxist paper for Labour - had added its voice to this
workers' union examine the views of Militant on women's rights and con- clude that they have little in common