Re-born Women's Campaign for Jobs

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A Women's Campaign for Jobs - that's the proposal that was enthusiastically adopted to follow on from the Action Committee which organised the June 5 Women's Right to Work demonstration.

Nearly 20 women from all over the country came together to decide how or whether the Action Committee should continue to function. There was overwhelming support for its continuation, to build and develop further the contacts and strengths established in the run up to June But it was felt it should be put on a more formal footing - hence the change of name - with at least a minimal structure so that local groups and organisations could affiliate and be kept in touch.

The afternoon was devoted to what kind of activities and initiatives the re-born campaign should engage in. There was some polarisation between those who felt local work should take priority, arguing that to an extent the campaign for the march had diverted energies from supporting local struggles, and those who felt national focuses were also needed, to break down the isolation of local groups ard create some sense of being part of a cohesive and dynamic movement.

Much of this debate centred round the proposal previously raised Women's Fightback for a Women's March for Jobs. Fightback secretary Rachel Lever pointed out that "most of the feedback so far has been very positive, and the placards and badges were highly popular on June 5."' Some sisters felt the analogy with the People's March was either 'overambitious" (Jude Arkwright, Socialist Challenge) or rather alarming. One sister who had been on the Right to Work march felt that these kind of events were diversionary, exhausting the marchers and taking them away from more productive local work.

Some of these objections were conceded as valid. Perhaps we should not be aiming for a "long march" but rather building on the "rolling demonstration" idea - with a coordinated series of local marches linking up with local workplaces and struggles, and only a token number of "I really wanted to be apprenticeships for wo marchers doing the whole stint.

NUPE shop steward Anna Lunts pointed to her experience over the health service pay campaign, where requests to address workplace mass mechanic, but there ren" meetings have gained enthusiastic response. • The general feeling was that while the campaign would stand or fall by its ability to build a solid local base, including building unemployed-unwaged Women women's groups, such lotal groups needed the sense of support and solidarity generated by a national event.

Whatever final shape it taken it man citannend 7I0 Lakes Il was suesstu we need a nationwide event that combines the advantages of national (press publicity, sense of unity and solidarityz) and local work (building a base, linking up with living struggles).

The meeting adopted the call for a nationwide event, such as a Women's March for Jobs, but felt the detailed planning of' it should be left to a wider body to decide. So a women only conference will be called in September to launch the Women's Campaign for Jobs.

It will discuss 1) building local campaigns, organising unwaged women and linking up with struggles; 2) Planning a nationwide event within a year to focus the local work.

Other initiatives were suggested to build up to the march-tour. These included:

*a national day of women registering as unemployed and a stand-up-and-becounted campaign (which came out of the February Organişing Conference called by the Action Committee). *A demonstration on the Sunday at the start of the Labour Party conference in Blackpool;

*Liaising with the Civil Service unions and the unemployed movement on action against the Rayner proposals which are due to be implemented in October (a day off occupations and strike action was suggested but this will have to be investigated further);

*Picketing in support of the Rulecan strikers, who are now back on strike, after management went back on their agreement to take them back.