finding' of discrimination. But this own is useless because it doesn't have any compulsory power.
Having done this, and probably achieved little, there is nothing more a woman can do. Any further steps can only be taken by the Equal Opp ortunities Commission (EOC). If notified, the EOC can issue a non-discrimination notice, telling the firm to alter its practice. Within a year it can investigate whether this has been complied with. If not, it takes the case to an Industrial Tribunal - back to square one!
If the Tribunal agrees that there is continuing discrimination, then the EOC can go to the Civil Court and obtain an injunction. If this is not complied with, after investigation, the firm is taken to court. At this stage the offence is - contempt of court! The penalty - a fine of a few hundred pounds at most!
£400 fine This process will probably have taken 18 months or so. Meanwhile discrimination has thrived, lawyers have profited, and the employer has lost little or nothing. A final point: there is one sanction in the SDA - a £400 fine facing anyone disclosing information given by employers to EOC investigations. The bourgeoisie looks after its NOW So despite Labour's trumpetings about these two Acts, working women will continue to be discriminated against in almost all spheres. The Acts will do little to alleviate the worsening lot of women as a result of rising unemployment and cuts in social expenditure. need for women to organise and take an active part in the fight against these attacks has by no means been diminished. The "Women and the Cuts' Conference called by the Working Women's Charter on 28 February is an important: step in this fight.
Rhetoric
The rhetoric in the press about the SDA is misleading and dangerous. It was the rise of the women's movement and the increased activity of women in trade unions and political life - especially campaigns like the Working Women's Charter and the National Abortion Campaign - which forced Labour to come up with the sops of the EPA and the SDA. And if women's equality is to become a reality, these methods of struggle must continue to be developed KATE FIELD