Campaigns: not either-or!

Scan page 4

to wait for up to 5 or 6 weeks for an abortion.

access to abortion facilities generworkshop discussed producing NAC literature in different languages, and making contact with ethnic minority women, both to publicise their rights, and to take up the fight against the racism of the NHS.

Also, more work is needed to educate Trade Union members on the importance of abortion rights and the fact that this is a trade union issue.

The anti-abortion campaigns, SPUC and Life, with their massive financial resources, have been stepping up their campaigns, and orientating more towards the Trade Unions.

Women from the CPSA and the National Association of Probation Officers told us about glossy handouts at Conference, filibustering in debates, and mass mailings of all trade union members, slandering NAC's pro-choice policy.

Workplaces

Perhaps most importantly, the Conference discussed how to build an effective campaign with active local groups. There was a very large measure of agreement about priorities for future activity, and the number of active women from all over England, as well as Scotland and Wales, provides us with a basis for building and re-establishing local groups.

Plans were made for setting up workplace NAC groups, as well as developing the activity of Trades Council Women's Subcommittees and Labour Party Women's Councils in pro-choice campaigning.

Underlying it all was the confidence and determination of the women present to carry on the campaign, and fight to make frec abortion on demand a reality.

All this activity needs resources, and as ever, NAC is short of money needed to fund its work. Donations and affiliations are very welcome, 1o NAC, 47, Waldrum Road, Párk Road. London SF23 2PW IT IS heartening that the split of the former National Abortion Campaign into the new National Abortion Campaign and the Women's Reproductive Rights Campaign does not seem to have led to a falling-off of support.

Both campaigns have now held well-attended conferences fired by positive ideas and a will to go forward and campaign on their particular priorities.

More disturbing is that rumour and rivalry seems to have been generated - pursuit of affiliations and support, financial and political.

Some trade union branches and other organisations which had supported the old NAC seem to have been presented with a virtual ultimatum: either 1 NAC or WRRC, you can't support both.

aloNe Chang bister's rights campaigns, of impressive labour movement links and support.

The NAC/TUC sponsored anti-Corrie demonstration was a landmark in labour movement/women's rights collaboration. The millions of ordinary working class women reached through that work should not be lightly dismissed.

Especially in the decade of that i the importance of retaining a butchered health service, that link with the labour movement cannot be overstressed. And, as NAC points out, for millions of, predominantly working class, women even the limited provisions of the 1967 Act have not been implemented.

They live in areas where free NHS abortion is made virtually unobtainable because of the "conscience" of anti-abortion consultants. And it can only get worse.

The issues raised by the WRRC, however, need to be faced. Black working class women from certain 'deprived' areas may not see abortion as the central issue. Faced with pressure for forced abortion and sterilisation, foisted with long-term untested contraception, often without their knowledge, they assert the right to choose to continue their pregnancy, retain their fertility and take control of their own bodies.

Some black women see the central focus on abortion as indicative of a white, middle class-centred orientation.

There is enough in this accusation to give (mainly white) socialists pause for thought. It is not enough to state our opposition to racist 'population control' and the abuse of black women as guinea-pigs. We have to prove in practice - to women who have recognised and been alienated by the racism of the labour movement - that we are prepared to take up the issues black women define as central to their oppression.

It is not acceptable to say "Yes, you go off and campaign on these if you think they're important." They must become central to any campaign to transform the labour movement.

It is therefore extremely damaging to the interests of women, black women partic. ularly, that there should be any suggestion of labour movement organisations having to decide which issues, focus and campaign to support.

Published by Socialist Forum for Southern Africa Solidarity.

Available (at 90p plus 20p post) c/o SO, 28 Middle Lane, London N8.

90p Bob Fine

Scan page 5

How real is the prospect of illegal budget being adopted the City Council on March 29?

The budget being presented to the Council will certainly be an illegal one. Whether it will be carried by the majority of councillors present is another matter.

There is talk of four Labour councillors defecting. Although some in the Labour Party think that this will be offset by the non-attendance of the Liberals, it shouldn't be forgotten that Liberal and Tory councillors could be surcharged too.

The threat of a £600,000 surcharge is certainly an incentive to improve a councillor's attendance record.

If 5,000 local authority jobs were cut under a budget plan the Tories found 'acceptable' , how would this affect members of your own union, NALGO?

We would have to expect around 800 job losses among local government. workers. 1 feel, however, that the main axe will fall on teachers should any future council or government imposed adminstration carry out redundancies.

They will do this in expectation that the teaching unions will be less likely to resist redundancies than, say, the manual Pete Cre secretary NALGO, Hardy.

swell, branch of Liverpool spoke to Bas How do you judge the role of the Joint Shop Stewards' Committee of local authority workers?

It has been to a large extent a question of persuading the members to take action. We want to organise the unions for a mass publicity campaign for the March 29 strike and have tried to reach unanimity for a strike on that day. The JSSC voted 117 to 3 for a strike on the 29th.

What advice have you been able to give to your members so far about what they should do if the government imposed commissioners on the City?

As far as I'm aware the appointment of commissioners requires special legislation yet to be enacted. It is more likely that officials will be appointed to run the city by some kind of official receiver.

In either circumstance must try to block the flow information to these people. What is your answer to the Liberals' call for a secret ballot of council staff over the impending industrial action. • Simple. Our members have their say at mass meetings.

What can Labour Party and trade union activists in other parts of the country do to support Liverpool?

They must give public support for the authority's no cuts stand. It is also essential that the Labour leaders acknowledge that there is no real alternative to the course of action adopted by the present council.

The arguments over Militant are, pardon me, a red herring. It would be difficult to see even a right-wing Labour Council carrying out the kind of policies the Tories are expecting.

I would certainly say that Liverpool presents a major challenge to the Thatcher government and will be a portent for what is likely to happen to most major Labour-controlled authorities next year.

Demonstrations, regional lobbies and other actions around this question must be supported up and down the country if the local labour movement is not to be isolated.

----- pull-quotes -----

We also discussed publicising women's abortion rights, and

ally, but in particular, for young women and black women. One

A QUESTION OFSOLIDARHY nacoenaeni Trade Unions Lin SoutheAtrice