Wiser
to choose 1975 - the year of women. Or so we were led to believe by the Labour Government when it promised women a better deal. But all women have had from this Govern ment are the hammer blows of inflation, unemployment and welfare cuts.
The scraps of Government paper on which the Equal Pay Act and anti-discrim ination proposals are written give no protection to the woman with pay so low that she's drowning in inflation, or the wo man who joins 300,000 others in the dole queue (not to mention those who've given up that one and don't bother to register, or the married women who don't get benefit anyway. These Government proposals have nothing to say to the woman butchered in a backstreet abortion or me woman who can I get ner cancre into a nursery.
BLIND EYE
For too long the working class move ment has turned a blind eye to the plight of women, in a short-sighted attempt to keep men in jobs and secure the wage levels of male workers. At a time when the strongest and most united struggle is needed to smash all the vicious policies of the Wilson Government, such blindness can only divide and diffuse that strength.
Men and women workers, tenants, hospital patients and parents must unite to nait the attempts by wilson s natchet men to saddle the working class with the capitalist crisis through the backdoor of attacks on women. A united stand is called for against the Labour Governments resticuons on abornon, cuts in nursery plans, closures of women's hos pitals, etc.
The Working Women's Charter has been campaigning for over a year for an extension of the provisions which free women trom the wies to the nome, e.g increased education opportunities, readily available abortion facilities, free nurseries, adequate maternity leave, etc. These like many other working class gains, are in danger or being bauered to dean Di this Labour Government.
FIGHT-BACK
In London the Working Women's Charter Committee is taking immediate steps to ensure that this assault is resisted. A conference has been called for the Nev Year to strengthen the fight against the social expenditure attacks, which are eating into every demand of the Charter. At a planning meeting on 25 October it was aweed mat me conterence ascussion will centre on:1. The economic crisis and how it allects women at home and at work.
2. Women workers in the public sec3. Links with existing campaigns against the Labour Government's cuts, and how the specific problems of wome should be taken up by these campaigns.
Every organisation fighting the cutbacks or affected by them, and all sup porters of the aims of the Working Women s charter should wrow thew weight behind this conference. The next plan ning meeting is on 21 November at the Mother Red Cap pub, Camden Road N.W.1. (opposite Camden Town Tube) at 7pm. ALl oreamsamons are myred and encouraged to send representatives to this meeting. For further information write to WWC, 49 Lowther Hill, London