paign has now been successfully launched in over 20 towns up and down the country.
But unfortunately, one of the major forces recently involved in the campaign, the Communist Party, has a conception of building the campaign which will severely restrict its growth.
We can best understand this strategy if we look at how the CP view the family and the light for the liberation of women.
Although CP members have pledged their support for the campaign up and down the country, they have time and again insisted that it should be taken up only in the organised trade union movement. They have been unwilling to fight for the Charter in the women's aberation move ment, in tenants' associations. or even amongst those women workers not yet unionised.
They have argued consistently that committees set up to organise the campaign should be restricted to bana fide trade union delegates, thus throwing to the winds the possibility of drawing in broader forces to the campaign, FAMILY Why do the CP fight tooth and nail to restrict the campaign in this way? In their theoretical journal, Marxism Today, they just completed a 13 month debate over the family which provides clues to understanding the strategy for the Charter campain.
In this debate, it has become clear that the 'orthodox' CP position is to see the family as a neutral unit in canNOW italist society. In fact, it is even at times described as a working class guin which needs to be defended against attacks.
The exploitation and oppression of women in the workforce is not at all linked by the CP to the oppression of women in the family. It is this gap in their analysis which means that the CP miss out a whole dinension of the Charter campaign. The importance of the Charter is that it can be ured to build a comprign which rice together the probienu of women as morhers and wires, and as workers.
The problems of women in the workforce will never be solved unless there is a fight to free women from the respunsibilities of the bome. But the CP refuses to acknowledge these Inks. For thent, the Charter is either fought for by taking up each of the demands in a separate campaion - the one to be isolated because it is now a legitimate concern for the then dropping the campaign.
Charter will depend on how forcefully it can challenge the views of many trade unionists that white parcel of trade union business, che and nurseries are simply "personal problems. To ensure that all these issues are taken up by the workers' movement means challenging the CP, who also share this view. CAUCUSES trade unions special needs — go band in hand with a successful Charter campaign. Once again, however, these formis of organisation are completely outside the consider that the exploitation of women workers differs from that of eyes there is no reason to cater for women's specil needs. Yet it is procisely the tailure of the trade unions from playing an active role in them.
that the inferior position of women is rooted in the family, they hold a dismissive attitude to the women's liberation movement - which has been at the forefront in organising on issues relating to the family. More aver, the CP is afraid that the involr cmont of women from the women's trade union movement or by simply passing a formal resolution at a trades trade union branches and trades council or trade union branch, and councils.
The success and impact of the equal pay, pensions, ete. are part and questions of abortion, contraception.
Women's caucuses ser up within which recognise. their CP's understanding. Most CP members men only in degree -and thus in their here which has deterred many women Because the CP fris to recognise out of cheir control. That is why activity. they want to confine it to the areas where they bold influence The socialist wing of the womer's movement has been crucial in building the local trade union novement, the campaign. These wumen have secn the necessity of drawing non-union women inco the campaign around issues such as nursery prorFA PLANTERE CARIC)
ECC isions. And the dangers of ignoring women outside the trade union movement were spelt out clearly by the experiences at Cowley. Here the wives of car worcers -who did not understand the tole of the union in fighting against the onslaught on workers" living standards • organised to get their husbands back to work.
The failings or the CP in relation to the Charter leave activists in the campaign with a number of crucia taske. Firsty, we must build the campaign outside the ranies of the palet for the demands of the Charter as a way of strengthening the whole trade anion coronent at the base, Through makme it possible fe wamer to participate store fully in trade uision Although these recommendat. ions have yet to go before the Trades Couneil, it is clear that a real hasis has been laid for taking the Charter campaign deeply into without any loss of autonomy by the local Charter Committee. and -who knows? -Doris Fisher may even take it to the House of Lords! Lawrie White Lade union buresucracy, where the CP would prefer it co reman. Secondly, we must extend the forces incived in the campaign to include non-unionised woren workers, students, housewives, ete Finally we must ensure that al the demands of the Charter are taken up rogerher. History has demonstrated - meat notably in the failsre of the suffragettes to link orber aspects of women's oppression to the issue of the vate. the penalties of Tailure in this respect.
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