Workers' 28 April, Ha.m. Digbeth Civic Hall, BIRMINGHAM the Department of Industry, is BOW on une directors. would Co-operation does not end here. The National Turbine Research ment, a government insurunon, way is now going to take on research work for LA. formerly done entirely at the LA Shipley factory.
For obvious reasons there is also bound to be a significant degree of co-operation between Lucas Defence Systems and the Ministry of Defence, sadly the stewards have not was managed to open these books.
Another aspect of the report is its excellent exposure of LA mus anarchical. one can only conclude that workers management be highly superior present outfit.
Furthermore, the contrast between the hand-outs to the company and its refusal to give a firm commitment to achieve even the same number of new kidney machines head population as European capitalist countries underpins the combine's conclusion in the original plan that it represents a challenge to many and assumpaons or our society.
It is when the report begins to investigate the whole area of alternatives to job loss that it becomes criticially paving the way for the rhetoric of people like Kaufman. This is because it takes into account the question viability. Establish- THE militant organisation adopted by the Lucas Combine Committee has job was had a completely raw deal from the trade union leadership.
On 2 September 1976, the combine received a message of support general secretary of TASS, the though white collar section of AUEW This stated that the decision of the Executive Committee was to accept the general concept of Reading it, the Plan'.
But when the would announced 2,000 redundancies to une in March last year, with the CLOSUrE Liverpool, government's Coventry, TASS general secretary Ken Gill laid it on the line: *Contrary to statements widely circulated, Plan" is not the official policy of of TASS.' other The company had in fact discussed the closure plans with Confederation building and *fundamental Unions, but refused to meet the combine because, ideological company representative put it, the national officials of the trade unions would rap me very firmly over the knuckles'.
weak, Ernie Scarbrow combine commented in a letter to the CSEU last July: "You will know that for the past five of financial years the Lucas workers have succeeded in preventing the rank and file position...
These the deputy March, company loss as participation factories working and that the "Corporate ongoing of Shipinternal and external. as for within Lucas Aerospace. management from carrying out one single direct sacking. It would be a sad reflection if, now that the CSEU is involved, it is going to undermine that fears well founded. At a company-wide meeting of the full 72 CSEC stewards a fortnight ago, on 15 CSEU leaders Roy Grantham (APEX) and Alex Ferry (TGWU) manoeuvred to water down proposals from the LA committee of the CSEU.
These were to insist on no job condition for in any that the delegates to this working party be responsible to the committee and subject to instant recall;
delegates b Cooley and Phil Asquith; an that the CSEU committee be monitor every aspect of the company's restructuring activities, including the monitoring of all sub-contract work both The proposals were eventually endorsed with no-one against, however, despite the antics of Ferry and Grantham. It is this emphasis on militant uggle and organisation s t on the CSEU leaders' des the employers which has been the basis of all the achievements ROY GRANTHAM, general secretary of APEX: attacked the no-job loss basis of participation in the joint working party.
WIARD (Report Socialist Challenge 29 March 1979 page 7
raising the same demand.
over their own fertility.
Governments control WORCES defining their place in society.
unwanted denied the women across the world.
instruments conduct their own lite Health available.
Campaign is already aware of 19 local campaigns for day-care Judy Watson, a member of the Group on NAC's steering committee, explains that the new campaign will strengthen this local providing a national orienAll photos: G.M. COOKSON [Socialist Challenael tation.
WOLET EVE SEEDONEOT at some time in their life -and half of them are forced to pay privately - there is an overriding need for safe, early, and easy which day-care offer,' says Judy.
in the law it will only come about through a vigorous, campaign. But it's not much use changing the law if we then find aren't fortheoming.' debate within the pro-choice Socialist Challenge 29 March 1979 fertility. reasons vary, It may be to boost or cut population; to keep women in the home or draw them into the labour market; or to assert the sanctity of the family as a sateguard against social rebellion.
Whatever the reasons that satisfy the interests of particular regimes, result for women is the same. The state continues to play a dominant role in Being forced to go through with an opportunity children spells misery for countless And having their bodies used as policies denies them another fundamental right: to decide how they should In Britain, the fight for free abortion on demand has been at the forefront of the campaign for women's right to decide over their fertility. But black women within the campaign posed a different question. That for them, as Service adequate abortion facilities in every area was launched in Britain earlier this week.
The National Abortion Campaign up the campaign - wants health authorities to be The National Abortion Marxist activity by •With one in every ten abortions units can 'If we are to win a change co-ordinated that facilities The need to amend the been a point INTERNATIONALISM is a word that crops up frequently in tl textbooks of revolutionaries. But rarely does a march from Hy Park find itself in solidarity with similar events in 17 countries:
'Women decide!" is the slogan which is uniting hundreds thousands of women across the world in the struggle to gain contr Their MOIC the forcibly to have government's illegal A NEW campaign aimed at making the National responsible for required to provide these facilities in the same way that today they must make contraceptives movement since its inception.
SECUTEE anti-abortionists since 1975, and while all agreed on the need to resist these attacks, many consider campaign needs to do more than respond anti-abortion forces such as SPUC and Life.
positive statement entailed woman's right to choose. everywhere seek to well as for white working class won with a large number abortions were often only too reac available This race and class bias takes on e sinister neo-colonial sterilisation is a common instrument black population control It has been the ability International Campaign for Abort Rights, which has inspired and hel to organise the co-ordination of eve in 17 countries this Saturday, to ur the demands for abortion, contrac tion, and no forced sterilisation t has given the campaign its internatio dimension On 8 March, International Wome Day, there were important devel ments all over the world.
In Barcelona, 5,000 women held demonstration attacked by the police.
In Iran, it was the withdrawal birth control pills from chemists sho together with the Khomeini gove ment's confirmation of the ban providing - which set The movement has had its • LONDON MARCH 31 that ine the efforts of What is also needed is a about for a proportions in for …of and One idea th discussed in ti ALDOSHOT Cam draft Bill to interference by women's fertil But thanks to t the British const doesn't exist impossible to rights.
Without a co a Bill of Right: changes in the amendments number of exist which hardly len campaign see support.
The aim of NHS responsib viding abortion therefore par broader goal of legal restriction control over the - day-car
raception and no sterilisation CH WORLDWIDE: I MUST DECIDE! abortions and its declarations that veils were compulsory, which brought many thousands of women onto the streets on 8 March and the following days.
They declared: "We didn't make a revolution to get a worse situation.' The growth of women's movements in numerous countries over the past 10 years has undoubtedly helped to forge and strengthen the determination Iranian women to make the fight for their liberation part revolutionary struggle.
The forces ranged against these revolutionary developments same forces wnose matenar interests dictate that women control of their fertility practised in international organisation.
examples of this co-ordination has been uncovered In Ine Muldergate revelations.
African Department of Information last year financed remove the liberal US Senator, Clark, chairperson of the Senate Africa Committee.
It did this not by openly challenging Clark's positions on apartheid but by pouring money into the 'Right to Life' challenged Clark's pro-choice stand! He was defeated.
This further underlines significance of the demonstrations and meetings which will be taking place been has mapped out its work for ational the next year. It wants to is work closely all pro-choice activists in the feminist and labour moveontrol. ments, including women ture of and health groups, anti-cuts in it campaigns, and the Labour Abortion Rights Campaign. ite for Regional meetings will help prepare for events such as the Fight Back conference mend, scheduled for May the countries involved:
the criminal code, the police.
The abortion of the - the must not take rally, - are well sensational of the ago, The South initially blocked abortion remained illegal. campaign LU Dick which introduced abortion rights, and 94 per Rome to ensure that abortions CACCOHE passed in 1977. the government the present government has other to across large sections of the globe this Saturday. Here is a checklist of some of granted grounds.
In Belgium, where abortion is part of women's centres which give advice about abortion and contraception are regularly harassed by issue caused governmental crisis in Italy three years April 28, Hyde Park ANTI-SPUC PICNIC abortion The anti-abortionists are holding a celebrate the International Day of the Wanted Child with the National Abortion Campaign.
when the Communist Party the ruling Spain Christian Democrats to ensure that The Catholic Church and the medical profession fiercely oppose the 1978 law extremely limited cent of doctors refuse to carry it out. Women are occupying hospitals in Turin and are Israel's abortion law reform was Women have to go committees to obtain permission for an abortion, and been BAN THEJAB! That's the slogan of the campaign against Depo-Provera, a birth control drug containing massive doses of a synthetic hormone associated with cancer risks ane omner severe nean disorders Internationally, the majority of the three to five million women on Depo frequently without their knowledge or consent - live in neo-colonial countries. In She is used man on Deck no wore CEss women Contact the campaign c/o ICAR, 374 Gray's Inn Road, London WCI. attempting to rule OU!
on social and economic Abortion in Peru is outlawed by both the civil and criminal codes. Many women die as a result of backstreet abortions, estimated at 140,000 a year.
Although abortion is a crime in Holland, it has been tolerated for the past 10 years because of a militant campaign by the women's movement. Events on Saturday will include a cycle demonstration passing the embassies of countries with particularly restrictive laws. selling contraceptives will be set up outside the Irish embassy in The Hague.
In Australia, sterilisation is practised on Aboriginal women without their full knowledge, and in all but one state -South Australia — abortion is illegal.
pain one run conte women's run women's movement in Barcelona and Madrid. Contraception was recently legalised, but is not widely available. Abortion remains a crime, and 3,000 women a year are estimated to die from back street abortions.
Although abortion is legal in West Germany, women must give consent to the removal of their uterus where complications arise. With such "complications' occurring in 20 to 30 per cent of abortions at a number of hospitals, the women's movement has concluded that forced being carried out.
France's abortion law comes up for review next January. limited rights to abortion, and there are few state facilities. have recently gone on the offensive in Switzerland, where most cantons only allow abortion when there is danger to health' Between a thousand women die each year in Colombia from backstreet abortions, and the quarter of a million women who obtain these annually are liable to prison sentences prior of between one and six years. United States has invested $3m in the Colombian Family Planning Institutes, which carry out sterilisation programme.
Eve of Demo Benefit National Abortion Campaign International Campaign for Abortion Rights Barry Forde, Pam Nestor, and Liz Christian Friday, 30 March. 7pm to 11.45 Tickets £2 at the door, £1.50 in advance Porchester Hall, Porchester Road, Bayswater, London W2.
meetine to reports -that I sterilisation is It gives only Anti-abortionists "grave and 1,500 The included an extensive worth it.
politics. workshops on SUPPORT for women internationally was one of the major themes of the socialist feminist national conference held in London last weekend.
Over 300 women packed into a hear Azar Tabari, just returned from Iran, recount event there. We decided to send a message of support from the conference to our sisters in Iran and to hold future meetines to organise solidarity action The main aim will be to organise a delegation of British women to gain a first hand experience of the struggle in Iran, so that they can bring back particularly to combat the distortions in the press. Azar stresser that the women in Iran very much need our support as their movement is ver In other workshops women argued next year's conference should concentrate on discussing Britain's role as one of the major imperialist power and what responsibilities that gave us ar in building international women's movement Some women felt that this would mean that the conference would be seen as a 'specialist conference, but in many workshops the idea was well received.
It was also argued that Internationa Women's Day has never been properly celebrated in Britain. The focus has been on our own particular struggles. rather than celebrating the multiplicits of women's struggles around the world This needs to be rectified next year.
The conference, attended by 1,500 marked yet step forward in the development of socialist feminism. The workshops on Saturday lively discussions pornography and censorship, and on the development of workers' plans and workers control, particularly over the development of new technology.
Some women were disappointed that their workshops did not make any big steps forward, and it seemed to be the same old discussion. But the efforts by the planning group to get papers and workshop leaders so that all the workshops were well prepared for the most part seemed to have been well Many women were disappointed that there was no plenary session, where we could all come together and have an idea of how far the socialist feminist current had reached in developing its This was taken up in the Sunday, which all
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