Common Problems in the Unions

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Even when women are the majority on the shop floor, men dominate the union p2.

NHS EVERY WOMANS RIGHT • NO RESTRICTIVE! VOiCE PORTION OVER the past few years, women trying to get equal representation, . fighting to get women's liberation taken seriously, have come up against a number of common problems.

Even in unions which seem to encourage their women members to participate, the procedures aren't known about. 'I know there's a Women's Advisory Committee, but how you get on it, or contact it, I haven't a clue!"

If there is a national women's officer in the union, you don't know how to get hold of her, what power she has, who she's elected by or accountable toi We have to find out the answers to these questions and make sure that all women in the union know about them. This should be a major part of the workshops on individual trade unions held in the afternoon of the Women's Fightback 'Women in Trade Unions' conference.

HILA In Yorkshire, the GMWU has negotiated with some employers provisions for workplace women's groups to meet during the working Surely this is a great step forward? Does it happen anywhere else?

One of the most important aspects of encouraging women to come forward in the union is to recognise that women must organise themselves and that the union should make provision for this to happen.

Most unions now have women's officers, equal opportunites committees, or women's advisory bodies, or support the TUC Charter for equality for women in the trade unions.

But how many unions put aside sufficient resources for a campaign to get women to take up the opportunities? Is there a budget for women's campaigns? Do the unions put their money where their mouth is?

All unions have their own journals. But how much does the journal or newspaper campaign for women to participate? How many women write for it?

Does the journal present their material in non-sexist terms as Point 10 of the TUC Charter states?

The workshops will also discuss how we increase the representation of women on the leading bodies of the unions.

Special seats

Should there be special seats for women on the National Executive (as in NUPE)? Or should we argue that women are elected from a special list by positive discrimination?

Should there be a strict correlation between the number of women on the Executive and the number of women in the union? If so, how?

If there is a special women's conference in the union how much power does it have? Should it have more? What demands do we have to make?

Many unions have rules revision conferences. And often we'll be faced with having to make a change in the rules in order to get better representation for women.

Impact

We need to discuss how it can be used and how much work would be needed to make an impact on it.

A huge proportion of women are part-time workers. We need to make sure that part-time workers are always . considered when fixing branch meetings, and that they have as much opportunity to attend union courses and branch meetings as any other member of the union.

At the Labour Party and the TUC, the sea of balding grey male heads is depressingly uniform, even from the unions where the majority of the membership is women. What can be done to make sure that women are represented in the delegations?

Despite the TUC's Women's Conference and the TUC Women's Advisory Committee, there is very little co-ordination or even contact at local and rank and level between women from different This conference will be the first of its kind. We must discuss how we can strengthen the links between women from one union to another - and make women's committees of Trades Councils more Jo Thwaites discusses some of the question arising from a Women's Fightback planning meeting for the Trade Union conference on March 27th effective.

We should work towards a national movement of rank and file women trade unionists. Can we start from this conference?

Sell-outs like Lee Jeans could be avoided if the women in an occupation like that had a network of other women trade unionists to organise the support that the NUTGW leaders refused them.

We could also discuss a national newsletter to overcome the isolation felt by many women activists.

The value of stunts carried out by women at national conferences should be assessed. Tne TV coverage of Alex Kitson being given flowers at Labour Part! conference last year drew much more attentior.

to his patronising attitude than any number of spee.

ches.

All this gives a great rea to discuss and decide or in the short afternoon of the Fightback conference. Wh!

not start discussing some o these issues in your fight back group, union branch or Trades Council sub committee now?

Then your delegate I the conference can contrib ute more to the discussior and you can start cam paigning now.