UNESS WE understand the roots of how women relate to the unions and wiere they re coming from, socialists are not going to get to grips with what is happening now - let alone unc ferstand needs to be done.
There is a high level of ignoranceabout women and their relationship to the unions. But it is a history that can inspire particularly in these demoralising days of a low level of class struggie.
1788 (before the "Vindication of the Rights of Women' was even written), women spinners in Leicester fought zenlously against their jobs being taken over by spinning mills. their. Thei orfe and They riots o their own union, called the One of the most impressive examples of women's militancy comes from 1875 when women weavers in Dewsbury struck against a pay-cut. They formed an all-women strike committee and adressed meetings of between 7000 and 9000 people.
The creativity that woten can bring to industrial action was shown in the Birmingham chain-makers' strike of 1911. • Here the women were striking around the issues of recognition and pay. The women adressed meetings and marched in chains symbolising their Also in 1911, during the great transport strike women in Docklands - wives, mothers and sisters of the dockers - who worked un-unionised in conectionary factories spon ancously walked out. They brought out women from other factories too.
MUST 21 factories were affected and megans or ow people vrere scen in Southwark Park. As a result of their action, workers in 18 of these factories won pay increases.
At every stage of the uptur of working class struggle in often in the forefront. But what ganise women in the unions?
the the Women's Trade Union League was set up. It was initially intended to organise women's Showing its liberal roots, the League was not initially in avor os or olar dustrial action. But in time women's struggles were supported and the League was inV0iV4e TOTON matchgirls' strike in 1888. It was this year that the TUC first passed a motion in support of equal pay.
The League led to the formation of the National Federation vomen leadership's general approach was lo ger women into the that strikes could be n 1922 this disappeared -Municipal Workers Union.
big women at work was now taking place. Throughout the 1920s many unions passed motions arguing that i narried women should not be allowed to work 'But in several of the main unions there were women' s sec tions, reserved places on executives and women's advisory committees.
How does this relate to the militancy of women?
The first general pattern that emerges is that tromen organise MUST GET OUT AND WORK