The Equality Report is latest publication NCCL Rights for Women Unit and is a 'comprehensive' guide to how the Equal Pay and Sex Discrimination Acts are working. True to the usual NCCL form, this survey is well-supplied with hard facts and figures, DIUS actual case ast ories of EPA and SDA cases brought before tribunals.
However, what the survey gains inrougn statistical analysis it loses in political analysis. une conciusions drawil by the report are simple and ecaiisue. ano tene to enore the economic, social and political context in which the Acts For example, reporting that the EPA 'was never intended to give equal pay to more than a relatively small proportion of employed women: those who can compare their jobs to a man's job with the same employer, the NCCL suggests that the solution to the problem is merely to amend the Act.
TRIBUNALS Again, when commenting on the number or cases which have been brought tribunals and have failed, they isolate the reason as being that too flatly likely to represent themselves. The solution to this aspect of the workings of the Act, suggested by the NCCL, is for more women to join a union, and make the unions back neir cases. To support this they cite the example of Trico:
union member, she will stand more chance or winning equa pay and opportunity at work tan i sae is nigating a fone famous AUEWbacked Trico strike not only ended in victory for the women at Trico's, hut servedasdi example of union strength to While.
DUCE NCCL obviously right about trico serving as example to other women seeking equal pay, they miss out on the real lessons Trico.
FUTILITY Firstly, the case of the Trico women, and of the 400 other unsuccessful cases considered by the tribunals exposed the futility of relying upon the channels opened up by the Labour Government for ieving equal pay.
women were extremely strongly organised within a union ramework and they knew that it was precisely that organisation which would win, without neeone to craw owner were essentially shown to be the cubiovers inounas Secondly, one lesson which Trico gives loud and clear and which the NCCL seems to be deat to. is that the Labour Government (which the NCCL accuses of not being radical enough in implementing the legislation) besides HOW COULD assault a policeman while he was lying unconscious?
This was the tricky legal problem which faced Judge Martin and his colleagues Middlesex Crown Court last week. They were hearing the appeal of Right Work marcher lynch against a conviction and three month sentence.
Mike, unemployed miner, was on the Right to Work march chester to London last year when it was attacked by the police near Hendon.
was beaten unconscious by members of the notorious Special Patrol Group.
was then that Mike assaulted them!
Of course this minor fact did not bother the magisBrates nno roung nim gullly and then rejected his apemployers 5 years to avoid the ine legislation also provided flaws in the legislation which employers could exploit unimpeded. plain facts many women still earn half men's wages, and as a recent Guardian article reported, the gap between male and female hourly earnings has increased 50p 56p. applications to the tribunals, only 568 have been heard. It is not surprising that naveTaKer through their own their for equality at work. while NO GUIDE The Equality Report, while recognising the such as family responsibility, divisions between and female labour force and low pay, which place women in an inferior the labour force fails to draw any conclusions about the situation which produces them. Furthermore, any guide to action.
We should read it to arm ourselves win ine Tacts but we should at the same time Hook to the essons Orc and other struggles for equal pay.
as PROBLEMS Amendments to the Equal Pay Act and greater union representation at tribunals is clearly not going to solve the problems working and living conditions or women. in a penoa wner members of the bureaucracy are air too wiHily to side anti-working class policies of tne Labour Government. tney are not one testinin ta take up ine question woman's right to financial independence and independence from family responsibility. In some cases the demand of for equal pay is in direct opposition to the Social Contract. And - women wno are made redundant are not likely -o ine solace in the bunais whether the Act is amended or not.
We must learn the lessons or rico ano oreoretor campaign of militant action in orcer to acnieve our eemanos ach- - for equal pay.
Trico Tachines and for te rigat or women to work. The rally for women's rights on 26 rebruar (now supported by forces from the labour and women's movement) has the potential to help us prepare that campaign. unlike_the NCCL, to pose the fight for women's rights as a political rather than purely economic or legal one The Equality Jean Cousins (NCCL, E1).
CAVITEC mar Mike ManHe Red Weekly fully supSports called by the Right to Work It Campaign to coincide with the next appeals. This will be on 1 February at 10am, assembling Crown Court, the Guildhall, Westminster Souare The slogan is are that women action achieve financial conditions the male position within it cannot give the day-to-day trade union with the Women strikers at the Phillips-owned Magnavox factory in Barking, Essex voted to return to work last Friday. The strikers were demanding that thi management at least negotiate on their use of pay grading to evade the Equal Pay Act. Partial concessions were made and talks are proceeding.