the past weeks.
"The reaction
management was to lock us out on the three days of the drivers" action as well.
pockets in a big way. So it's a big step lo lake unless people are convinced that they are not going lo be isolated again.
'We're all being witch-hunted by managemen. Chris explained. searching everywhere for the "ring leaders *Our excrutive seen to have more sympathy for management than us. H'e know That the Western it mecting with manage. ment on hausday "Members of the NEit will also be in attendance. all pressing to eer the action called off wond' pur it past them 1o use •Last time ther gor in nels that the inction Wo WOMEN at the Hoover factory in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, have won their fight against discriminatory lay-offs. At the same time they have helped the male workers to save their jobs.
with 140 of the original 200 redundancies. This is supposedly because the economic situation has changed. But in reality, this victory is largely a result of the resistance put up by the women.
The history struggle is not a proud one for the local engineering union. But it holds some important lessons.
When the 200 redundancies were originalv announced, the union leadership negollarca whereby the bulk would hit the unskilled women workers, But women workers at the plant - led by stewards Jackie Trailor and Pat Goode appealed to the Equal Opportunities Commission such discriminaManagement have decided not to go ahead tion and won their case.
They were actually in favour of fighting all the redundancies, but they were not going to allow the local union leadership the easy option of putting the brunt on them.
The local media jumped on this so-called *sex war' glee In fighting discrimination, the women re-opened the wowe orbae on ow ae redundancy threat should be handled. he men. suddenly faced with the reality of the scope of the redundancies. out strike - for the first time in the history of the plant. Confused and divided br the misleadership they had duelieu their action not against the Illallagemnelli, the women who had had the bottle to fight for their rights.
Ironically, this was the point which the management caved Women workers are now allowed work on the assembly line and the bulk of the jobs are saved for the une bene the favourable Hoover se memen shows is that the fight for equaliterests of all workers. It is the Tories and the bosse who benefit divisions.
Al this moment in parliament the Tories are considering measure which will prevent all married women with working husbands from signing on the employment In other words they are saying that married women do not have the right to work.
in its entirety should reject this. It must fight for the right of women to work in order strengthen the fight of the whole working United Class divided we fall - and the Tories know it.
Women workers
Hoover, Plessey's in Bathgate and at Loveable Bra in Cumbernauld showing how to fight. The whole LOVCHEC would do well to follow their example.
Build for the womens right work details wr 5 June Gould, 150 Walworth Rd, clopram and castle, Lon don sci.