Unions to discuss fares fiaht

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Time and again women trade unionists have come forward to fight the Tory onslaught on their rights and living standards. And each time they have run up against the limitations or outright treachery of the existing bureaucratic And they have found a movement which has for decades ignored the issues and problems faced by women.

Trade union The March 27 Trade Union conference called by Women's Fightback is designed as a focus for a movement to change the unions and challenge their present leadership.

The conference is open to women either as individuals or as delegates from any group, workplace organisation, branch or women's group at local, regional or national There will be an all-day creche. Workshops on various conference topics under main groups: Pay; public sector and the cuts;

jobs; fighting sexism; racism and the Third World.

The conference fee is £3.50 (£2 for low-waged or unwaged non-delegates). Credentials from 41 Ellington Representatives TrOn all London Transport branches have been cafled to a meetingon 171 chruary to decide on tirst moves in the fight against the fares rise.

The meeting has been called by a committee of nine full time union officials representing seven major LT unions. The committee was formed atter the GLO Labour Group's original vote against compliance with the Lords' judgement.

The committee's aim has been to work out a joint response to the Law Lords decision and it is expected that their recommendations will be put to the delegate meeting for approval.

Union leaderships are thought to favour a one day strike, but there are considerable doubts whether the NUR is backing this. But LT workers have been lett completely in the dark by the unions. A leaflet promised four weeks ago still shows no sign of appearing. The one-day strike proposal was criticised at a meeting last week of sixty workers representing IT unions where it was pointed out that a one-day strike could achieve little. The meeting decided nevertheless to call for the strike and at the same time call for an all-out stoppage. A leaflet for distribution at all LT sites will be drawn up in time for the delegate meeting.

Illegality

Support for the proposal not to collect the fares increase after March 21 was limited. So lar one garage and one branch of the Transport Salarkd Stalls Association are known to have come out in favour of this proposal. There are thought to be some difficulties in getting this to work and fears about its alegality may well frighten away the union leaderships.

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The Gdansk riots two weeks ago showed that the spirit and militancy of the Polish workers has not been broken by Jaruzelski's takeover, The Polish crisis simmers as the military attempts to quell a disaffected and hostile working class.

Unfortunately the reaction within. the British labour movement has been very silent.

It is only now that the Labour Party has committed itself to holding a rally in support of Solidarnose around March 9.

Although useful-it has been too little, too late. A BRITISH Rail's stab at with the support of Weighell.

But continued stonewalling and stalemate on both sides, with ASLEF contin-

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Women s MARCH Fightback