centre of the fight 700,000 today.
70 per pay.
Women make up. the majority of low-paid workers Britain. The Labour Government recognised this when it introduced the Equal Pay Act in 1970.
But since the end of 1975, when the Act was supposed to come into full force, the gap DCLWCCIayCare male temale earngs has actually widened.
Wny: Iot Just Decause emplovers found all sorts ways to get round legislation, but because it was irrelevant to two-thirds worren workers.
For them there are no comparable men s JoDs provide a basis for pay equality in terms of the Act.
Most women's jobs are in effect an extension of what they are expected to do in the home servicing and caring for other people. Large numbers of women work in catering, for example, and in the health service, as nurses, domestics, and technicians.
Because in the past these areas have been seen 'women's work', they undervalued and low paid.
Under the pay policies of the Labour Government, with their percentage limits, wages for these jobs have fallen further behind.
In 1974-5 women manual workers in the NHS received 88.6 per cent of the average female wage. In 1978 this figure fell to 83.5 per cent, and the average woman's wage was only £56.40.
Many women with family responsibilities are obliged to take part-time jobs; double shift work - in and out of the home - which puts them in a double bind.
Pay is low, and with little flexibility about the hours they can work, their choice of jobs is limited, leaving them vulnerable to employers' requireTECHES.
You may have thought that the Government's initial 5 per cent offer that gave 60p a week to the lowest-paid public sector manual workers was derisory.
boosted membership from 300,000 in the late '60s to over Most of the new recruits were women, who make up cent of the present membership. DUGGAN follows the pitiful progress of women's vast But for most of the quarter million workers in that grade, the part-timers, would have been 25p per week. And the Government's latest offer of a minimum earnings guarantee specifically excluded those who work less than a 40-hour week! and Faced with such appalling levels or pay and offers, it comes as no surprise that workers not previously of thought oras militant the schools meals staff, cleaners, Jane noso ta ancuaty workers of - should be prepared to take action to defend their living standards. to Women workers in these SCCEOLS face however. Although they have been joining unions at a rapid rate over the past few years, women have integrated into the particularly at shop and other official union levels. While tens of thousands of women did take action on 22 January, the workers who have supported all-out strikes since then have not included many are women workers. It has been the refuse collectors, grave diggers, and sewage and water workers who in the main have been confident enough to take this even sort of action.
Since women make up the vast majority of the low-paid workers it is vital that the unions ensure that women are fully behind the £60-35 hours claim.
It needs to be explained that even cor womer wno do no! work 35 hours this claim will mean a real increase in their pay, since they will receive a pro-rata increase in their hourly lales.
Women should be fully involved in discussions on the action their union is taking, so that they do not feel they are being wheeled out to vote for strike action without any real involvement in the life of the union.
Only then will the publie sector workers be able to wage a strong, united fight for their claim. bulletin and leaflet presenting ways of stepping up action and involvement strike, stewards meetings, a campaign against cash limits, and regular production of bulletins by the unions — as well as the political arguments against a sell-out.
We are also supporting a resolution to the various local trades councils this week calling for a pay action committee to co-ordinate the against low pay * Local NUPE leader Colin Barnett refers to himself as a 'sensible Сомалием treats his membership like chess pieces. BERe Manchester was to have 1,000 workers on strike each week, but so far it's only averaged 250. The would cost the union too much has been used to stop any move PENNY by area officers to sanction more strike action.
the increase isolation and recipe for orgathe the far left in extend Newcastle Party. It such as joint shop Scotland ACTION campaign Setoland, the Secretary Scotland have concessions.
those argument that it in widespread action.
Pay Action of SUUECE to cosupport from refuse trying to which diseuss their Mike Eaude TGWU hospitals steward reduced the urgent admissions only. problem is Camden to North Labour also calls on the district Labour Party to mount a campaign against any attempt to restrict the monies available trom central government.
The by NUPE in which has lagged behind the rest of Britain, is to be escalated now that talks with of -TOT brought no Mick Napier, chairperson of Haringey By Nigel Hamiltor IGWU-ACT THE MONTH-old strike by NUPE members in Haringey, NOTII COROOT. Is macking mn neither resolve nor support.
When Alan Fisher told a support meeting attended by over 200 people last week that public inquiry, strikers used the example ol argue that they would stay out for the full claim if the national settlement falls short of this.
The meeting decided to build a broad-based support com. mittee, which was formed on Saturday by 40 delegates from local organisations, including the Labour Party, 'Parents for caretakers', and Socialist Challenge group.
COTHL will be leafleting, raising funds, helping to build inter-union links, and holding a picket of the Hornsey Journal, which has done its best to break the strike. which has closed the college February.
Thursday the principal, helped by police, broke a window to force their way in. Students are picketing against this action in support of the caretakers.
*At Thames Polytechnic, scene of a week-long strike by NUPE lec machoels, turers have found a curious wa of 'supporting' the shutdown. John Downing, head of sociology, re-located a staff meeting to the LSE Monday.
----- pull-quotes -----
THE NATIONAL Union of Public Employees, at the against low pay,
(NUPE Says: §60 NOW
GEORDIE SEZ HADDAWAY WI YA 5% IT'S BOODIES!
£60 35Hrs Tower Hamlets