sort of icals to attumpr to find markets, urmuments, hur the results have been medions. It has Moated the franc, leading be made officiet later in the yuar.
On the question of wages it he atfemptod to detene in policy as not increasing to stundard of tiving, bur preventing it trom Talling. In practice böacier, incomes ure alreedy falling behand pries incrcas Thur situation in only going WORKERS RESISTANCE The resistance of the workers to the aflacks on their starand of living has erows longer euch day. One of the mont important scrikes is that of the hank worken, This sarted in nationalised bank, Crodit Lyonnak, six weektago, bur theusand workers throughout the country The ballk employees une mainly young wotkurs, and the strike is very milltant. There are requent demonstrations of rens of thousands of striker in Paris.
As well as the abkious com hativity of the struegle, a growing politicisation i5 also visible. This has undoubtodly been onc of the truits of the movement around Lip. [the watch factory occopied by workons Ehreatuned with redundancy|. A striking axample was shown recontly ob television. A limm of printers had been Equidation. The worken took over the factory and resumed production in order lo roy their wages. When asheu br u Journalist if they had been inspiied by Lip hey repbei that whis was what had made thom think. The Lip movement has lod to for the whole of go furtber than in strikes in the past, and thar it is necessary to look for more eflec tive demands and methods of strugele.
Another characteristie which shows the increased conscinasness of the workers is the spread of'strike committees directly cecied by all the workers. These une not pur forward in opposition to tho unions, but netther do they submit to strict contrel by che trade union apparatios, TRADITIONAL ORGANISATION What are the tradicional organisations of the, working class doing in this situation? The Communist Party (CP) nod the Socialist Party (SP) declare their solidarits with the warkiers in strugale the could hardly do orberwise-but thes are above all preoccupied with updating their Com before the petrol crisis and war promised
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PREJUDICES has been the finst demand abandoned at the negotiating table, With little leadership from the trade unions, it is understandable if women workers are less than eager to push for equal pay and feel that this demand would only weaken their position at work, In other wards, that only by receiving lower wages than men can they be assured of holding down their jobs.
This fear is not unjustifled. As early as June 1971, when the Equal Pay Act had hardly begun to bite, the Times reported: 'Official returns were indicating that 20,000 manufacturing jobs for women had vanished. The six monthly figures showed a total loss of almost 100,000 women's jobs, a far higher pro-rata loss than the men's, gradual replacement by men or machinery is only one way for employers to avoid costs and difficulties of implementing equal pay. meagre amount allowed for equal pay under Phase 2, Like the vust majority of the 150 women who struck, she had joined APEX only "We're disgusted, she said, "I am amazed we have put up with this it again.
months to be successful, the trade past ways and attitudes. And the hold of back wand ideology on the by'more than two to one! It was arqued that it was necessary to a few months before, although she had worked for the firm for 35 years.
for so long. We'll never put up with For any struggle in the coming unions will have to depart from their working class extends to the socialist organisations as well. At the recent national Rank and File Conference, called by the International Socialists, a motion for more specific commitment to (among other things) abortion and contraception was defeated union affairs. How many unions organise creche facilities at union conferences, for example?
Second, women's demands must be taken up in a determined way throughout the labour movement. floor. This is the importance of the recent Working Women's Charter drawn up by the now defunct London Trades Council, which includes demands for free abortion and contraception on demand, and paid maternity leave. It recognises that demands relating only tackle the problem. This makes an advance over the charter drawn up by NJACCWER, which only covered equal opportunity; education and participation in 'public life'.
Far from a struggle around these demands being a diversion from "more important struggles, they are part and parcel of ensuring that struggles on these key issues are not would help to minimise the isolntion ot women coping in the home, should be fully supported by the labour movement-in addition to struggles launched on the factory WOMEN'S MOVEMENT Third, it cannot be ignored thut many women workers themselves fail to see the importance of fighting for equal pay. The London Trades. Council set a valuable precedent in opening their meeting where the Working Women's Charter was to be discussed to 'any group or individual interested in the condition of women workers. This open Invitation pro vided un opportunity for wonten from the women's liberation movement to discuss with other workers who have had little to do with the movement.
The demands in the Working Women's Charter recognise chat a woman's role in the workforce is tied