Needs must when the devil drives
One of the highlights of the events to celebrate the centenary of
Oxford trades council in October was the premiere of a specially in the fight for trade union rights.
Made by an all-women crew, the thirty-five minute video uses interviews, archive news photos and a previously undiscovered women's struggles in Oxtordshire:
Socialist Outlook spoke to the film's director ANNE MARIE
SWEENEY.
Tell an abow the earlest rious the films nicer.
AMS: We bad heard that a number of wowen from the village of Ascott had been sent to prson lor pickering during the 1873 farm labourers' strike.
Wewere lucky tubtai a rare copy of a
Book by Rog Groves, called Sharpm Your
Sickle, on the history of the National
Agriculriral Labourers' Union: That told us abour the sigauficance of the Ascott casc
There were almost no records or cphemera lu work with, so we set out to find women in Ascos who know anyuung about the sixteen Ascott martyrs themselves. The last of them died in the
19304, so anyone remembering them would be very old: and have unly chilchood
We were fortunate. Mrs Weston not only remembered the Ascotr women, but had bern a field worker herself. It is hard to convey the incredible burden these women endured.
They nut only worked in intolerable conditions and all wcachery her long bours in the fields, hut they had large families - sonuc had fifteen children — and often did gloving work in the exenings.
We also found Reverual Mann, who hari rescarclied the national implications of the
Ase Lase, He told us how the national outcry against the jail sentences belped lose and Disraci
Gladstone the nexe election then repealed the criminal Taw amendment ser which had made picketing legal
Unions had oody become legal in 1872:
Joseph Arch deep formed the NAEL in
Warwicksture: within a vear one hondred thousand had joined. Ascott is right on the
Warwicksbire border.
The women haid picketed a firl in support of the strike.
They were not ever members bf the undot and were expecting
38 ar worst to be fined. They walked over to the court with their children, laughing and Joking:
There was a NALL represcalative in the court with line money in his hand. Bat when the womcn wore jailed the union did The strike at Bliss tweed mill - Mrs Cooper is released from Oxford gaol, Feburary 1914 nor lode an appeal.
Instead within a day Joseph Arch had organsed a campaign hitting national press Headlines, Three days later there was al huge demonstration of three thousand in Chipping Norton: bur the demands for repeal of the criminal law amendinent act and an end to clerical magistrates - not for the release of the women!
Of course Joseph Anch has a good reputacon Bur it desserm that tiere was a lor of mileage to be made nut of the Ascou women guing to jail.
The cuse helped change the law and even change tor government: bur ir had been almost torgotten What made pou look at the Blin mil doi? AMS: Wr knew that a woman toxtile worker had been sea to prison for pickcting the Bliss tweed will in Chipping Norton in 1914.
We met David Eddershaw, lorerly a histcity teacher in Chipping Norton, who filled in some details of what was a hage eight-month strike, Then we wens on a dercetive trail to lud nut about the strike From the elderly poople of Chipping Norton. We were ten vears too later most of the strikers were deari
The strike was precinnardly women. We found a huge collection of photograptis. all kepr as plate glass negatives. In Woodsock museum tube Packer collection. Wetook por luch and got forty prinied up. They turned out to be a inique collection in trade mmon and women's hastory. showiny rows of womm in Edwardian cutlis confronting police un picket lines They showed Mrs Cooper's relase fron prisone and we lound the speeches frun that rally reported in the nid flaford Chransle.
By today'S standards it is extraordinary to sec such straighr reporting: and the speeches themselves were caciting Wirhoul exception they were about the strength and contribution dEwotan ai the fight, and really class corscious: They opposed imperialisnt and parriotism on the eve of the first world war; and the crowd sang the *Red Flag when Mrs Cooper was released.
We discovered a link with the attragelle movement. Einily Pankhurer was based in Oxford in that period. We heard recollectens of try suttrageres on mocor hikes ricane round and round Chipping Notion police station shouting footes for women?
A key figure was Mine Warley, the first woman Jull-tine oberal for the Workers Union at a tame when officials really did organise and backd strikes mstead of blocking them. She had just come trum organsing a strike of Cornsh tin miners! Tou dirocered winen i rolent gouonerng Copseler: car tearkers? AMS: Yes, but again we were Handicapped We knew women were involved in the 1931 xerike wyluen hest won mion rerngnition in what is today's Austin Rover body plant, but we couldn't find any women still alive who had taken part
Frown's book Erineng Smuggles in The
Widlands gives a vivid account of the strike and mentions the role of women in the press shop. We trund newspaper articles: headlined Tour women elected to strike commince 1 don't shink Were can ever
STRIKE AT OXFORD WORKS : TRAIN
ARE
YOu WITH
THE BO
OR
WITH
have been four women on a Cowley stoke committee sance then!
The 1931 strike laster only ten clays. bur it has parallel with the 1984 miners' strike. There was tremendons class solidaritv: printers produced immandia fraffers and poster to cuunter newe kories claining a difft Back to work. Tears of women fiy-posted these posters. and chalked and painted on scabs house:
There ar shots of women on picket lines with placards, and like with the Aseptr women, these show the humour of wmen in struggle, with slogans liks "The girls are game — are vou?!
Somehody said that the Ascott women were motivated by survival and the need to have a bit of a laugh Ithink this is an important lime of the video. One of the Ascott-women, Fanny Lonerborne whis was sixteen and sent to prison for ten days as a ringleader was den pur on broad and water as an extra ponshruent Taughing during exercise!
Humour was a weapon for these women. and it still is for women today, us we daw in the miners" strike. The foral section is on comen in the car plantson partime cury this period? AMS: The myth prot trim women th overalls happily sacrificing for the war effort in the munitions plants. The reslity was the most appallingly oppressive. exploitative conditions. Production levelat Cowley were staggering: we met womcu who had signed up for the lorces riber than work cherc:
SHIS FIGHT/S
YOURS®
GET INTO IT
There was io health and safcty. while the farrory owners were rakig in probs. women then did the same job ax men for only two-durds men's pay: equal jay was not won castil che Tate 19705. Phat pansel dow the cider? shows low women who do bur scr themselves as in any way exceptiunal can do exceprional Lungs. Yet their couribution is not recogniscd at the tann or even afterwards, by the labour шпо сленг.
There are some films about women s union struggles in thr C5t, but very few Granauck, and more recotly some on women and the muters" strike: but tiere is very little compared to the mumher of women's struggles
Glymas Evans from Maerd women's support group, said that she felt "humbled' by the viden what they had done as women in the miners strike had been extraordinary and new, but they had done nothing new Wotten have always struggled with sutler deteraniasion and against similar odde
We have foured this much in Oxfordshire, wlach is not scen as a bastion ofunion power. If you mulriply dison a national scale, just think how much working class women a history is hidden or lorgotten by the labour movement.
ARE GANE
STRIKE
HARE YOU?
VEVE D
OW 1 protecton, Test the pressure to work dunder
We wanted to remind people that the
AMS: locuses on women's struggles, and about British warnen. There is Loid BerEar by rhe video. Before in she had belleved that militancy
The Staples
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To did the all-scoren team connibate to the AMS: The whole story is told through older women, who are normally regarded as having nothine to say for Liemselves. and ire agnuted even hy the women's movement. Wewere able to show List many have a wealth of experience views and rommens Maureen Fadershaw, te interviewer, was ideal, Sir i a nurse working with cluerly people ar Chipping Norton hnspital. It was Fascinating to warch het adlerview three older women. She talked to them withont patronising, und rcally wanted to fiscen to them.
To acheve the impossible, and complete the whole propci in just two and a half months for onlo 4800, we had temeridous suppor from other women's groups in wto who gave us help free because they were exelted by the projoct
Peggy Seever did the sound track; bur even then we had to was newsongs becausc there were wi few about women and unions in Britam.
We hope that the film wilt help counter peninso in torlay 's trade union struggles, and expose those salan leaders who still suggest that women members are a block to
And their is much more of this history to be found: Oxfordshire is nor unique! • To adians a rops of this rides cartact: Oxiona Film or Video Mater Headingor ON3 31Y
39
SOCIALIST OUTLOOK no 4 November/Decembor 1987