The fight against the productivity who now act as the Labour Governductivity agreement, but it is also the most direct response to productivity On the basis of this action, the defend workers' jobs, supervised and Opening the control and a massive programme of Healey has made much of his offer of income tax concessions in return for a 3 per cent wage limit. But 25 per cent of the labour force will get nothing out of this magnificent ges ture. They are the married women workers, who are lumped in with their husbands for tax purposes.
It's not as if women are working for pin money. Under the impact of the crisis every penny counts. A re cent Woman's Own survey showed that three out of five women workers regard their earnings as an essential part of the family income.
But Healey's Budget plan means that these women will be left more or less defenceless against the effects of inflation, with no tax con cessions and only a 3 per cent wage rise. And one has to ask-3 percent of what? With women among the most lowly paid sections of the workforce, that could mean a rise of only 75p! About as usetul as a teacup of water in a furnace.
Healey has certainly ripped away the facade of Labour concern for women's rights provided by the Equal Pay and Sex Discrimination Acts. In practice, however, these Acts are already being shown to be a farce. One group of women, for instance, had their claim for a big increase to give them equal pay turned down by a tribunal because they did heavy manual work all the time, while the men had the relief of a little clerical work!
The setting up of local investiga tory committees to monitor the practical workings of these Acts was one of the calls from last weekend's Working Women's Charter conference. The conference-attended by over 400 people, including 280 delegates-also decided that the Campaign should hold a mass rally at the end of this year to chart the way forward in the light of these findings.
Other national focuses for local action around the Charter will include the 25 April NCC demonstration, the 26 May day of action, and a national conference on *Women, Cuts and Unemployment' These activities will lay the basis for a vigorous campaign to demand that the TUC adopt the Charter at its next Congress Conference also discussed the progress of the nursery campaigns taken up by many Charter groups, as well as support for the National Abortion Campaign. A campaigning newspaper is planned to help in building support for all the demands of the Charter and showing how they are closely linked.
A major debate at the conference took place on the question of amendments to the Charter.It was decided that the amendments would not be regarded as final but adopted as the basis for a discussion and campaign throughout the workers movement over the next year. Among them was a new demand which is vital in the present period the right of women to work The campaign for the Working Women's Charter will be central in overcoming Healey's splitting tacties and building a united labour movement response to the Labour Government's attacks.
Pat Masters