Labour women back BL strike
Socialist Organiser1981 1981-11-12Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 2 →
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AT THE second West Midlands regional Labour womis conference, in Birmingham on Saturday October -Ist. an emergency resolution from Coventry Women's Council deploring Michael Edwardes threat to the BL arikers was carried unanimously.
The conference pledged ls support to the strike (due io begin the day after the conference), and several actNities were proposed from the floor and received very well.
If the strike continued, it was stressed, women strikers and female relations of BL workers must be organisad, and support committees established to help the BL workers defeat the Tory covernment.
About 150 women from all over the West Midlands attended the conference. It was a successful event with a good feeling of sisterhood throughout the day.
Assumed
A resolution calling for positive discrimination for women and ethnic minorities was carried unanimously, after conference had heard horrific tales of how some sisters were told by a District Party that women didn't want to be involved in politics and would rather stay at home, keep the house, and look after the children.
Another emergency resolution was put about a wonan's right to work, noting that the Tory cuts have affected women's jobs terribly, and calling for support for the women's right to work demonstration next yea:. This was again carried unanimous!.
Importani discussions were also held on the exdiscriminatory social security regulations, such as the cohabitation rule, which assumes a women sharing a house with a man is economically dependent on him.
The high peri-natal death rate in the West Midlands was highlighted in a resolution by Wolverhampton Women's Council, and several suggestions were made, such as:
Decentralising antenatal clinics so that they are easily accessible to pregnant women, * Making sure that hospitals in areas with large numbers of non English speaking women employ appropriate interpreters.
Scared All the suggestions were made to improve the antenatal service so that it fits the women, instead of the women fitting the services.
Unfortunately, the representatives from South Woreestershire CLP didn't turn up to put their resolution, calling for the women's conference to be abolished - scared that they would get the same reception the resolution got fast year, maybe!! : = KATE. WILLIAMS chairperson Wolverhamptor I PYS
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OL. MAILICO NO
Austin Morris