WOMEN members of the Communications Workers (CWU) held their second successful national which attracted women from across the country on the eve of the union's main conference last month.
This followed the first conference held last year after a long campaign by women activists.
The theme was "encouraging women into the trade movement". The need for the event was uduC clear when A resolution General Secretary has given Derek Hodgson women's opened the conferChice He pointed more power out the dearth of women in union positions - only three of the 96 postal branch secretaries are women.
Perhaps the most powerful contribution came from Critchley striker Sue Hoskins who explained how her life had changed during the course of the dispute. "I think we were all a little selfish at Critchley before the strike. As long as everything was OK for us we didn't care about the rest of the world. That made it difficult Marian Brain to understand why people would support us.
"When Executive member Michelle Emerson spoke at our first meeting after the started, she broke down and cried and I just couldn't understand "I thought it is me that is going to lose my job, not her. But since then I have come to feel the same about other industrial disputes".
The conference included a final session which was a 'mock conference, in which inexperienced had the i chance work through procedures, practice speaking CLO in front of a supportive audience. A further major step forward was taken for women's rights - and the real involvement of women in the trade union movement - when CWU annual conference passed a resolution which gave women's conference considerably more power.
With the support of the union's Broad Left and against the opposition of the Executive, the resolution called for women's conference to take resolutions from branches and to have the right to submit two resolutions of its choice to annual conference. the expectations of the trade STILL waiting for some fairness at work: MSF strikers embroiled in a battle with Metro Cammell in the midlands will no doubt be less than impressed that their leadets can find time to attack the left, leaving the government and employers a free hand.
•'Neil RETRO CARMELL 00°0 without being informed of any allegations or evidence against them. On the advice of Regional they were accused of and copies of material.
In response they were given a new date and copies of a letter from Terry Ashton, General Secretary (now Director of the Board) of Greater London Labour Party.
This claimed that London region MSF had been a constant thorn in the side of the London
Council they refused to attend, instead writing to demand what