Excluded from Women's Rally

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Rally 'One Year After the Sex Discrimination Act and Equal Pay Prentice Thus Rally?"

After meeting passed p on the st of the vorking 'unity" possible ness had OrsE 4: 1 Jw65 NAS AXES lift be held at Alexandra Palace, on February 27th.

WSL members (from ASTMS. NALGO and NUTI attended and contributed to the first three meerings of the Planning Committee lot the Rally to be held in February.

We did so on the basis that we were in agreement with the concept of the Rally and that therefore we would involve ourselves in its planning and organisation.

Early on, however, a factional struggle in the Working Women's Charter resulted in a major modification to the concept of the Rally.

From being a Rally for women workers who see the need to develop a strategy and programme for fighting the trade union bureaucracy and the economic policies of the Labour government, the Rally was transformed into a mass event on a much lowei level - a mass "consciousness-raising", session which will put forward no programme in order that it offends no one.

In particular, the majority of the Working Women's Charter Secretariat (led by IMG members) did not wish to offend the Communist Party and the women it can mobilise; nor did it wish to come into conflict with the assortment of women MPs, trade union officials and Labour Party bureaucrats who support the struggle for women's rights -so long as it does not threaten their own positions (which by their very nature depend them supporting the anti-working class policies of the Labour government in collaboration with the TUC).

Thus it was decided to leave politics out of the Rally.

The politics of the WSL brings us into conflict with organisations which retreat from offending those who attack any section of the working class.

we were faced with the "How to fight for OUI in the context of the the Planning Committee at which a motion was rohibiting taking a position cial contract or on the role present leadership of the class, it was clear that adapted to the lowest level of political consciouswon the day:

The leaflet advertising the Kally states:

"The Rally will draw together the experiences of all those fighting for women's rights. By drawing the lessons of the last year we can carry the struggle forward and begin to counter the mounting attacks."

How? Pooling experiences is useful only insofar as it helps in developing a programme on which 5 Com for the Act 1o to carry the struggle forward Work - As the crisis of capitalism worsens, the crisis of leadership of the working class is heightened. It extends down to the convenors' witch hunts of militants and onto the shop floor where stewards are sucked into class collaborationist participation schemes to lend credibility to the employers efforts to impose wage cutting, speed-up and redundancy. The only way these attacks can be fought and the emergent struggles of women broadened and given political direction is if these bankrupt leaders are exposed and a new leadership basing itself on principle and programme is built." and "In the current period any struggle for democratic demands will bring workers into conflict with the bourgeois state, which must now take away democratic rights as it attempts to solve the crisis of the capitalists at the expense of the working class. Thus the need is posed for a programme which develops workers" consciousness beyond the limitations set by the bourgeois state."

We argued for these positions on the Planning Committee up to the point where the decisions had all been taken.

We are withdrawing from the Planning Committee now because, in our view, the Rally as it is going forward will intentionally abstain from giving women workers the leadership they now requite instead are requesting permission to have a stall at the Rally through which we can make known our programme for women workers and for the working class as a whole:

*For the right to a job, to full nursery provision; for free abortion and contraception on demand.

*For a programme initiated by the trade unions to unionise all women workers, including all part timers and those unemployed.

*For equal pay and equal opportunity, under the control of the workers themselves.

*No more wage control. For immediate catching-up increases and then for wages to incease with every rise in the cost of living as determined by elected committees of trade unionists and housewives.

*No redundancies, For all the work to be shared out egually at no loss of pay - part-time workers included.

*No cuts to the public services. United strike action by all public sector unions against these cuts, *To achieve these demands -strike, occupy, open the books!

COHSEIdIN

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CLAYBUN. ANCH Fight cuts Sai jobs