EEK: How the Labour Governallowed arms exports to South volation or Labour Farty con CCIS/OI7S. The continued nibbling away at women's right to abortion under the 1967 Act was highlighted at a national planning meeting of the National Abortion Campaign in Sheffield on 22 May. While no MP appears willing to follow in James White's foot. steps in launching an open attack the Lab our Government is equally unwilling - and incapable → of implementing Labour Party conterence policy or tree abortion on request on the NHS.
At the meeting, attended by about 60 people (the vast majority women), the question was clearly posed - how to take forward the campaign for Free abortion on demand - a woman's right to choose'.
The main discussion at the meeting centred on the proposal for a public Tribunal on abortion. It was made clear that this was not civisaced as a snowpiece aal relying merely on famous figures and NAC groups; as IMG members arqued the cam paign leading up to it must act as a means of linking up the activities of local NAG groups and drawing together the broadest possible forces at a national level.
Expose This means involving trade union branches, Constituency Labour Parties, women's groups, cuts committees, Community Health Councils, etc. in collecting evidence.
The purpose of the Tribunal cannot simply be to 'prove' that women have a tough time trying to get abortions. li anust diso expose une wav in which wo men s rents are under attack at tworevers -First, the economic policy of the pres ent Government is forcing women back into une nome to care tor tne sick and elderly whose nospital beds have been chopped, to look after children whose nurseres nave been crosea, to nave childrer they don't want and can't afford to bring UD.
al - bent on proving that women's sole function is to be fertile baby machines (preferably decorative at that) and that their place is in the home.
It is by recognising the nature of these attacks that we can win understanding of the importance of fighting for women's right to control their fertility. NAC arouns alone cannot do this. They must take the campaign into the labour movement, dem anding that a real fight be waged for the implementation of TUC and Labour Party policy.
Such a fight can begin around the collection of evidence for the Tribunal - evidence aoout nospital closures. reactionar gynaecologists, whether or not the 1967 Act is being implemented, whetner loca facilities meet the needs of local women, CIC.
The Tribunal is scheduled to meet in carly Decemder, Inis means starting to fight for active support now in all working class organisations towards the setting up of mobilising committees at a local and national level. That is the only way to ensure that decisions about abortion rights are made not within the four walls of a Select Committee room in Parliament, but by.women themselves -movement nas already voted inev musi be.
Pamela Holmes (East Kent NAC) The second level of attack is ideologic MIRROR - as the labour the differential between men's and But even the inadequate provisions of the Equal Pay Act are being ignored by the Industrial Tribunals settling claims under the Act. The Act says women should get equal pay for the same or broadly similar work. But the Tribunals are only letting through identical work:
"The most astonishing case so far is that of Susan Waddington, employed by Leicester Council for Voluntary Service. She is paid £400 a year less than a man much younger than her doing a job she created and supervised. The Tribunal ruled that since her job involved greater responsi bility, there were no grounds for Of course women's position at work mirrors their social role in the home and the sort of education and training they receive. In 1974, 43 per cent of boys entering employment went into apprenticeships compared with only 6 percent of girls. In 1970 there were 110 women apprenticed to skilled craft occupations compared with 112,000 men. And not much has changed since then.
By 1971, of the 8,344,100 women in paid employment, 29.1 per cent were clerical workers, 23.2 per cent service sports and recreation workers (cleaners, canteen cooks, ete.), 11.9 per cent professional and technical workers, and 10.3 per cent sales workers. No less than 75 per cent of all women workers were in the servicing occupations.'
Across the pages of the financial press the message is the same everywhere: The U.S. economy has revived from its worst slump since the 1930s; the upturn is faster and sharper than anyone expected; corporations reap the highest profits ever.
will is really Week, hoods as opposed to citywide master planning."
The February 20 New York Times reported on the layoffs that have already taken place: "In the last 18 months the city lost half of its Spanish-speaking workers, 40 percent of the black males on the payroll and