THE SQUARE in front of the Ministry of Labour in Madrid was covered with women's clothes drying in the sun. Laundry day? No, striking textile workers at the Induyco factory were recovering from an attack by Spanish police wielding fire hoses.
unree mousana women.female workforce at the factory, and many of them less than 20 years old — walked out at the end of last month when five of their numoer were sacked and seven others suspended pending a tribunal hearing. All had been prominent in mass meetings which have been held regularly in the factory since they were started last autumn.
The bosses claim that these women "have not kept up with production'. The strikers think otherwise. Not only are they demanding te immediate reinstatement or an tae victimised workers, but they are also calling for child-care facilities, canteens, and the recognition of their Assembly The work conditions at Induyco point to ine depen or exploraton and oppression experienced by Spanish women. They begin work at 14 years of age, and upon marriage come up against Induyco's policy of bribing them with lump sum payments to leave their iobs. The fact that the strike was initiated by older' women of 22 underlines why the bosses are determined to maintain a young and inexperienced workforce which is more liable to accept the dictates of company policy. half the democratic 1964, that is. _ rants