conference, and the NEC women's places appointed by the trade union bloc votes. AGM Organising this campaign will be the subject of the major discussion at the is a campaign that will once again put the fight in the organisation back at the top of the agenda.
Labour women are being forced to confront male chauvinism in leadership because the last year has DIULICS has been made in the party as a whole.
Quite the There were fewer resoluagenda recent and even the one WAC resolution supported by the NEC, calling Facts for women to be included on shortlist, was voted down on conference floor.
Alongside this there has been the disgrace of The 'shadow' election by women's conference of the women's section of the NEC will demonstrate that women are not asking for any favours - we intend to take our equal place in Loe movement. This will resolve some • the problems WAC's perspective in the last year, which was marked by the absence of any such initiative aimed at the party as a whole.
Individual campaigns around reselection by their very nature take place in consumerces creating a series of isolated , Unfortunatewhole would have demonstrated WAC's interests few opponents their Alliances Building such alliances with women like those in the mining communities WAC has outwards adopt more public campaigning approach. Everywhere that support we have got, and the support we can potentially win, in an effective way.
The Labour Women's Action Committee faces a choice at its AGM. Not the choice of whether it condemands or for some other Nor about whether the women on the WAC executive are as proposed in the current issue of Labour Briefing or what its image' is. choice WAC faces is about how WAC campaigns for its demands, what strategy is has.
campaign has to b based on the actual struggles of women. in alliance with all those who prepared to support And this is the second ele ment of the choice WAC Tas Lo make - whether 11 is prepared to mobilise its potential allies. THE SEVEN week old by steel workers at Sheffield Forgemasters Atlas site stronger than ever following a stormy mass meeting last Fri day which forced ISTC officials to withdraw a return to work instruction.
The began on 16 in response to a far-reaching management offensive MacGregor style, as one worker put it For five years wages at Forgemasters have fallen two of those years there has been no increase at all The plant suffered massive job JUSSES. Forgemaster argued that this was necessary to restore profitability Workers were intimidated hv the situatior in Sheffield's steel inwhich ha seen over 20,000 jobs go since 1980. Now the Atlas site i making profits but management's attitude hasn't changed This year, they offered a paltry f4 a week across the board, then even that was withdrawn. Instead they "re-organised' the site into five separate companies, refused negotiate at site level alive The central shop steward's committee was declared 'unnecessary the union office was closec venor's post abolished Existing agreements nave been torn up The joint health and safety committee abolished. now management say they will rule on which shop stewards are acceptable to them!
At the neighbouring River Don plant, Forgemasters have tried to ban shop • steward: meeting to discuss the management offensive way there, demands for a no-strike deal on recent £3.4 mimon order, and a lilica to existing agreements.
Forgemasters the biggest private employer in Sheffield. A victory there .. would be a huge boost to other workers in the stee and engineering industry, whom face similar threats.
Support for the strike is spreading especially the engineering and minThe striker: have produced leaflets and stickers organised regular • city centre collec tions. As Christmas abe they'll proache. needing all the support licy call get. • Donations, requests for information and speakers to: Ron Ward, , secretary, shop stewards committe SOUTE centre AUEU House, Furnival Gate, Sheffield