Woman's Right to Work: do marches help campaign?

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The demo should not be the end of the campaign AT the Leicester Action Committee for a Woman's Right to Work we discussed Women's Fightback's call for a "Women's March for Jobs organised along the lines of the People's March"

We are all exhausted after organising for just the one day demonstration on June 5, which, although gaining much support, has actually done nothing to alleviate women's unemployment and all that goes with it.

We have got a lot of support and want to do something with it. We want a local campaign to concretely tackle women's unemployment. The way to do this is by setting up local Unemployed Women's Groups: these already exist in some towns. Nobody pretends this is an easy task. It will mean: being on the estates instead of in the town centre; being in the Community Centres; structuring meetings differently; remembering that women have to collect the kids from school; cook evening meals, etc. etc. This way we can involve working class women in the fight.

Kigass and Rulecan were unable to speak at the Labour Party Women's Festival. Kigass have had false reports about them in the media. These women, the NHS staff, and women fighting redundancies need our support.

Unemployed Women's Groups could lend that support, as well as having their own campaigns such as actively opposing the social security co-habitation snoopers; or campaigning for childcare facilities at DHSS offices or the National Day of Registration -all around the country women who are unable to claim benefits will be asked to go and sign-on, all on the same day, to show that 3 million is way below the real unemployment figure.

Experience

From my experience of the ten-day Right to Work March, 1981, little political gain is to be had from a Women's March for Jobs.

There was much said about how the march could link the struggles in different towns, thus strengthening the fight. but the practice was different. We visited factories and workers in struggle and had rallies with workers from all around the country spealsing: but solidarity must be involved with those in strugge and I was always too exhausted to notice what was going on.

Energy

In short, there was a lot of energy used up in organising and carrying out that march; and little came of it. There is a Right to Work March every year and little else in between.

JUDY GOSS Leicester THE disorientating effect of the call for import controls upon the British labour movement was testified to by recent events at the Ravenscraig steel plant in Motherwell. A decision taken by unions and management to ban foreign made cars from entering the steel complex.

'On the pretext of insufficient parking space, Bill Irvine, executive member Dear S.0, We invite readers to send us their letters, up to a usual maximum length of 400 words.

Send to Socialist Organiser, c/o 28, Middle Lane. London N8.

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