Socialist Action Socialist Woman supplement pdf, August 1984
The scan: 068-x-SA-Socialist-Woman-supp-August 1984.pdf (PDF, Marxists Internet Archive)
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WANTED
national demonstration - 11th august 1984
ACTION SoCiAlist
10p FOR BETRAYAL OF HER SEX ON BEHALF OF HER CLASS "women against pit closures"
Socialist Woman Supplement
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"When this strike is over can I have my wife ba
mers, leader, cGahey recently said that it
omen had been involved in 1926 the way they are today, then the general strike would have been won. He could well be right. But the most important thing is for the NUM not to forget what it has learned over the last months, so
*Please Mr Chair, when this strike
Is over can I have my wife back?
Not this one, the one I had before'.
(quoted by Bea Campbell in New
Statesman)
MARY DAVIES is a member of Penrhiwceiber Women's port group. HAZEL JONES is
member of Mountain Women against Pit group. STEVI JACKSON is the Women's Officer for Cardiff Central Labour Party VERA McELHONE Women's Officer for West Labour Party. Stevi and Vera are also members of Cardiff Women Against Closures.
Why do you think women have played such an important role in this strike, compared say to the 1972/74 stikes? Mary: Well in 1972 my generation had never known another strike. heard all about 1926 of course but 1972 was my first experience of a national strike. I was involved in the strike only to the extent of writing a letter to the newspaper and going on demonstration Cardiff. went picketing but not on the vast scale of today. But women didn't go. Can you say more about why you think women are coming forward so con fidently in this strike? Many of the miners wives I've met are not simolv wives. They're workers themselves. Do vou think this has ettected their setconfidence?
Mary: Yes. More women work today in the mining communities than before. They've got used to being in-
At the start
I just cried
cance ofit
discusses manyaspecis of mobilisation miners' wives from South Wales. We also reprint evidence of the particularly which the miners' wives on the picket lines in an attempt to frighten them back to the kitchen sinks.
dependent. A lot have got part-time jobs mainly in factories or as school cleaners, working in the bakery or in hospitals. We husbands last time just as much as now but we didn't have as much freedom. I think women feel stronger minded today. Like the Greenham sup- women who've shown that women can
do things that men can do and even some that men perhaps can't... like surAsh vive all that hardship at the camp and closures still be there...
Hazel: Yes women have shown a lead in every battle.
You seem to have and here with Cardiff Women for Life on
is Earth.
Cardiff Mary: Yes they
regional meeting and explained about the links weapons.
Pit• you'll have a nuclear power plant open-
Wing. Pits would be used to store nuclear waste rather than producing coal.
It was at this meeting that we made the decision to have a women's picket. Women can often be more effective in lakille acuon.
We'd brains rather than their brawn.
whole point of us going to Port Talbot was to draw attention away from the men and let them picket.
It's amazing
Lure follow women whatever they do. We all The men got together and started to walk down
the motorway. The police started mar ching alongside of us. know what to do and one policeman told me it takes five officers to handle one woman. After a while we decided to turn back and lo cross te road lo walk on the other side of the motorway. By then the convoys had come roaring out. They're real cowboys these firms. The lorries have their number changed and their tyres are bald.
Vera: We sat down at the beginning of
DEBBIE AINSWORTH is from St Helens. Her husband Steve has been on strike since the beginning. They have two young children. The
meets every Tuesday evening at Bold miners club.
MARTINE BONADONA asked her about her involvement in the
How did the strike change your life?
At first I was totally opposed to the strike. I did not know anything. about it. I used to listen religiously to what l heard on TV. It's only Steve's involvement that got me involved.
At the beginning all I did was cry when the bills came through the door. Steve altered me. We had to get used to no money so I don't go to the supermarket any more. It is too tempting.
this picket.
seven women and 21 men.
VALERIE COULTAS
the women with
degrading way in with men. police have treated rested mn uese nunocrs.
lorries...!
all the different
supported our
thousands to «Commor men than the women.
backs.
made strong links ting down.
between coal and nuclear For every mine that closes
mean to sit down.
convoy.
Surely by a mass
They tend to use their
The
how the police will to disrupt
that were able to They didn't
adopting these tactics.
plates have is getting arrested.
you at home.
money for the children.
groups Things are allyillule.
Stand the strike now.
How did you get involved?
workers.
We held them up for an hour and a halt. There were 28 arrests
In some ways this action was good and in some ways it wasn't. The women were just picked up and left at the side of the road but when the miners sat down they were immediately arrested. I'm not surprised at lual. I tink te ac tions women have taken at Greenham have been very effective but you can't mechanically apply te same tactics 10 the picket line where the class conflict is so sharp between miners and police Mary: i don't think these tactics work
They can't afford to be ar-
Hazel: Women are used to keeping their tempers and men are not.
Vera: You can sit down when there's not much traffic but in front of those
Stevi: I think it's quite hard to unravel
things. Greenham women have been arrested in blocks. There's been a lot of brutality. But I think you're right that a picket line is a different ball game. You've got to have
stop the lorries. The police were being far more brutal to the difficult.
The Greenham women went relaxed. The men stiffened instinctively and Mary: the police picked the men up differently with their hands twisted behind their
Hazel: That comes back to the imagery of the miners. I just can't see miners sitVera: But we could do it with women. strike. Stevi: I think one of the problems is that Greenham women are used to get- down ting arrested and miners' wives aren't. The non-Greenham women didn't really have a chance to discuss and influence the tactics and what it would Vera: Yes but how do you stop tha
picket properly organised by the NUM and the women
Mary: The police lines were seven deep. I think there's a real problem here. The suffragettes had a strategy of getting individual women and groups of women
meetings, smash windows and even burn property. The women
get arrested and deliberately get fined, often were middie class women. It was different then and it's still different now for working their bit. class women to afford huge fines. Not all Greenham women are by any means rich, but I really can't see miners wives miners. Mary: I think the main worry women
Vera: There's also the kids waiting for
The said
Many times the bill was bigger than the giro, and you still need to keep some support
I've lost my job because I was working at weekends and if there was a rally, I went to the rally. The rally came first
just same We have no family life. We can't live the same life. We don't go out true, anymore. We get a lot of stick from the neighbours because Steve is picketing. But I have learned politically. I unders-
By going to the first meeting in St Helens Town Hall. It was about ten weeks ago, well into the stike. There were social, welfare, DHSS and council
The discussion was incredible. All the wives wanted to know. I discovered that I did not know anything about our much now
ARTHUR
Dont tot the
GET YOU DOWN 47 Women have come more and more 1o the Hazel: And if women are unemployed and on supplementary benefit it's very
Mary and Helen tell me you r attitude to sitting down
To be honest if a policemar came up to move me I'd be violent in « my reactions.
Hazel: I'd be prepared to sit down anc
moved even though I would feel violent - if I thought it was disrupting them I would do anything to win the Stary: What I did notice is that gahg
us older said 'Don'i women forget girls be careful' But when it came to the crunch and I saw four or five police onto one miner I got heated. The flats of my hands really hurt afterwards from hitting the police. They elbow you out of the way as if you're of no account at all.
Hazel: Yes the state wants to put across it's the miners who are violent. Mary: I can vouch for it, not one miner on that picket attacked a policeman. What do you think of the support the NUM has received from the rest of the labour movement!
Mary: I think there could he more supHazel: Yes where is the TUC? Mary: Some people contribute money every week and that's it. They've done
I certainly think Mr Kinnock could have come on the picket lines with the
Hazel: Yes he didn't speak out until 11 weeks into the strike.
Mary: And then he'd have been better off keeping his mouth shut with what
needs and our rights, so then we set up a
commuttee We started the food parcels and the help to children
It was good for women not to sit in a house seven days and seven nights a week listening to the junk on TV. Steve went to rallies, then they said some thing on TV and Steve said it wasn'l
The was there.
We had constant arguments at the beginning. The children were suffering. The beginning was the hardest. Now I still worry about the mortgage but there are other people.
Did your husband help you in your involvement?
We have quarrelled about it. It'salright for him to be out all the time, but he said I was neglecting the children. when I got involved. Did I say he was neglecting the children? But we don't argue so
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ck?"
SALE: AREA N.U.M
MY LADO
Fore in this strike.
Mary: But the Cardiff Labour Parties have been great: Asking you to speak, collecting food, giving us money and moral backing.
Hazel: And Mid-Glamorgan Education authority gave us free school meals, including in the holidays and free bus passes.
Mary: I heard Eric Heffer on the television this morning. He said he'd down here demonstrating outside the offices protesting at the sequestration of NUM funds with the miners. always thought Tony Benn was a bit eccentric but I've changed my mind. I was really surprised at the way he's stood up for the miners. Him and Dennis Skinner have been really good so has Ray Powell one of our local MPs.
But there have been a lot of complaints about Neil Kinnock. He comes from a mining community after all. Vera: This brings me to something else about this strike. What are the women going to do afterwards. You can keep the miners support groups but what status will they have? alignments are women going to make. Mary: But we're all Labour! Vera: Yes but what about the fight in the Labour Party. What about dealing with people like Neil Kinnock. Mary: It's very difficult because he's our only hope of getting back in power yet he doesn't support our battles. Hazel: If they put
tony benn wnere Neil Kinnock is I'd join the Labour Partv tomorrow Have you thought about joining and carrying on the fight you're waging now in this strike?
Mary: I'm too busy.
Who looks after the children when you are both out?
My family is very good to us, so my parents or his take the children.
What does your involvement consist or?
Going to wives' meetings at the club. I am on the committee of the group. We Try to make life easier for the children, in particular now with the summer holiday.
We help feeding the pickets. I also
share womer oiletries, baby foods, on. We have a rota for the distribution.
And also I go speaking at meetings when we are invited. But it is a problem o go to meetings. To go to the club the bus fare is about fl, that's 50p each
That's a lot of money. vay.
enough for what's needed.
mittees have moved a lot. women's
favour
autonomy.
greater representation. have got the power
why the
Wales more women joining.
Hazel: But
right-wing. They
that's going
be
CYCL night,
l've
that's a big step forward?
after this strike's over?
think should W C
the miners to go down the pit. What political can't we be members?
movement for
pay, abortion on demand? Yes definitely we're women's movement. dıscussed those
come aler
going to be able to stop us.
With the baby
in the strike.
before?
No, I had never been to a
to be bored after the strike.
on nappies and so
LION She's made
get everything he
But it is going to take a long time.
wives.
Hazel: The leadership is too weak. If
you're a good socialist you get expelled.
I don't think you can move them fast
Vera: But the Women's support Com-
We've got organisations inside the Labour Party. I think you've done us a
because in this strike you've won the argument for women's
Stevi: That's true, at the Wales Labour Party Conterence we won ine support of the NUM for our demands for
The to intluence the selection of MPs in Wales. The reason
possible is because there are too few people confronting the right-wing in
Hazel: That's why I haven't joined you, I feel isolated in the valleys.
Stevi: But the Women's Organisation is to the left of the Party as a whole.
Women are taking the lead in the Party as well as outside so it's vital we have
although appears everyone is united so many women are
seem believe everything they read in the newspapers. Yes of course the majority do and
to change until something happens that really affects them. But look at women in this strike. How many of you went to meetings
how many went on demonstrations and pickets, discussed politics in this way. Look how many
getting involved
Vera: Do you think the NUM will allow women to participate in lodge business
Mary: I think a lot of things will change after this strike's over. They won't be been able to keep women out. We've played such a big part that we're getting invited to more and more meetings I
have Honorary membership of the NUM. We service
why
So would you say that the organisation letter
dispute has contributed to the building of the broader
liberation?
Have you had any discussions around feminist demands like childcare, equal
part of the But we haven't because haven't had time. That will probably
I don't think the miners' wives realised they could do as much as they support. have done. Now I don't think you're
who doesn't sleep very well, I am very tired at the end of the day. Steve's never here. He believes
Had you been involved in anything
meeting before. I enjoy the challenge. I'm going
How do you see the strike being solved?
There is not going to be an easy solu-
into a political strike. I don't think Scargill is going to
wants. MacGregor is not going to get everything he wants.
They underestimate the fellows and
"Our gallant police' in action - brave lads! UP AND DOWN the country women from the mining munities have been joining miners' picket lines, meetings and demonstrations. Here they learned first hand about violence of the police, and have
themselves victims of specially refined types of violence that the police have reserved for women, an attempt to drive them out of activity and back into their homes.
Below we publish extracts of a
from miners' wives Calverton sent to Alec Woodhall, MP for Hemsworth, which he has circulated around the PLP.
It was a lovely sunny evening and we gathered on the pavement in a jovial mood, sang a few songs, shouted a few slogans, and joked with the half-dozen police officers present. Most of the women had no experience of picketing, and went partly out of curiosity, partly out of a desire to show our menfolk our
The atmosphere was relaxed and jovial until police reinforcements arrived. They at once surrounded the picket and told the women to move to a different part of the pavement. Women who questioned this or who resisted being pushed were arrested. Women who intervened when their friends were arrested got arrested too.
Changes
Many women did not know why they were being arrested, 'Why me' yelled one young miner's wife as she was being dragged away. 'I've fancied you all evening,' the arresting officer told her. Another woman, charged with using foul and abusive language, was told by a police officer: 'Call yourself a woman - I wouldn't even piss on you.'
The women were dragged to the police van with a brutality quite out of proportion to their resistan in her mid-forties erio offered resistance offering no resistance, was dragged by two officers, One whom had his
Police take it out on women
around her throat. 'Let her walk', said com- one of the officers. 'No, let's drag her,' the said the other.
They did drag her, face downwards, have so her knees and the tops of her feet in the open grazed. She blacked out, and had to be sandals were
taken to hospital. the
At about 11pm the police van left Calverton for Hucknall Police Station It was quite dark inside, and the women locked in their individual cages were shaken and bruised as the van raced at high speed down the winding country roads, swerving and braking sharply. from By now they were very fightened and
confused.
At Hucknall Police station things did not get better.
Women were at last allowed to go to the toilet, but they were escorted by male police officers - this made it very difficult for some women to take advantage of the relief offered. Besides which the toilet, which was in an open corridor, was filthy, apparently did not flush, and was caked with excrement.
Miners
At the police station, a number of the women asked to make a phone call, which they believed to be their right. They were refused. In some cases, the police did in fact contact the woman's husband, but ther their husbands had been contacted; nor were women told that husbands and friends had contacted the station to enquire after them.
This was very distressing, especially for the women with children, who did not know what arrangements if any had been made for their children to be looked after. One woman sixteen-week old DaD. always thought the police were supposed to care about people, but when I told them I wanted to speak to my husband becduse I was worried about my baby, they just laughed and said if I really cared about the baby I wouldn't have gone on the picket line.'
The women were taken one by one for questioning. usual questions, they were asked very detailed questions about their family circumstances, HP and mortgage com-
mitments
all battered and
Jaguar
this year.'
Deep
vagrants,
Some
ly through
and would printed.
were did not tell them
home.
they
who had said: I've a complaint with every
seemed systematic degrade In addition to the These
and their 'attitudes'. In terspered with the questions, were all sorts of 'humorous'
remarks such as 'Did you know Arthur Scargill's just had three tons of coal delivered to his house.' 'What do you think of this new
Arthur Scargill just bought himself' and •We're hoping this strike is going to go on — the overtime's greal
• we'll be having two holidays abroad
By about 2am, most of the women had been interviewed and were locked up in individual cells • these are the cells normally kept for drunks and
and were filthy, with mattresses and blankets stinking of urine, and some with traces of excrement.
They were given a cup of tea - their first refreshment during this ordeal.
were fingerprinted (without warrant) during their interview. Others were woken up periodical-
the night to ask them whether they had 'changed their minds'
consent to being finger-
They were told they would appear in court at 10am. Then it was changed to 2pm. Then to 4pm. Then to 5pm. Finally, at twenty minutes to five, they
allowed see solicitor.
In court, before a single Magistrate, the usual notorious bail conditions were imposed, and at last the weary bewildered women were allowed to go
From all the catalogue of horrors
experienced, perhaps the most horrific thing was that these were not isolated incidents where individual policemen overstepped the mark, and where it would be appropriate to make
- Dul CYCL officer, from the rough handling, to the constant taunts about 'overtime' to the disregard for privacy, comfort or basic legal rights — all these
Jali of a total pattern. attempt bully and
are 'respectable' women, whose respect for the law had been unquestioning. Their faith in our system of justice has been totally shattered.
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missiles
More and more
radical activity.
pit closures.
Imagine these women
and many others linking
and taking their struggles
together. sined ange sp
the major significance
these developments which involve a wide layer: of
wohrer encourage these links at every possi-
ble opportunity.
That is why the initiative taken by Leicester
Womens' Action Group must be giyen all our support. Linking the issues of
he Nuclear Arms/Power industry with the threat to our Coal Industry is important. There are large coal resources In Britain. but wouldn't the Tories love to extend nuclear energy to crush the power
the miners! Wouldn't the lorles also like to bide from us the exploitation of black South African workers mıning plutonium for Rio Tinto Zinc. The Leicester Womens' Action Group wants to highlight these issues and many others.
As miners' wives now like to remind us, they are fighting as • women, not Huners wives dre unev art fiting to defend their own livine conditions and communities, not just to
men's jobs. Both Greenham women and miners' wives have experienced police harassiticill and hostile media coverage. They have inherited a labour movement which is not always willing to support those in struggle and which has allowed anti-union laws to be established and allowed strikers' families to be icaucea lo poverty quring their period of struggle.
red as a newspaper with the Post Office.
d bı Cardinal Enterprises, PO Box 50. London N1.
or tası tno unser (i c› tid, London Le
SOGA iKt
ACTION
Mines not
women are getting involved in We have watched the Greenham Common women challenge the Government on its Nuclear Arms policy. We have seen women come forward in the Labour Party and urge it to adopt more militant policies. And now we are seeing a deep radicalisation of miners' wives and women against
But these women, through their personal experience have learnt the importance of strengthening the labour movement and acting in solidarity. ducy alc nol ouv wing to defend their own communities but they want to go further. What Nexty are asking WOMEN FOR MINES NOT MISSILES will be LOeIT slogan these events. Three marches are likely to take place:
Capenhurst Uranium processins plant to the Mansfield® area starting finishing with Women's rallies following the route from Capenhurst Chester Crewe Stoke Mansfield Women are asked to go on any part or all of the event.
There will rallies, lafletting, collections and marches through towns.
Transport will be arranged through rural areas.
Contact Leicester Women's Peace Action c/o Leicester Women's Centre, 13 Welford Road, Leicester or Tel Andrea (0533 702585.) * Linking up the Welsh the W ILI Nuclear Power Station.
For further intormation contact Welsh Miners Wives or Women Peace.
For information about events taking place Scotland, CUllale AHne 041 423 1485 or Irene 041 632 0420.
Raise as much financial support possible and send to 'Women for Mines not Missiles' at the Leicester oTaNCI the Yorkshire Bank, A/C No 29797100.
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MARS
ARTHURS
ANGELS
Is this man due for deportation?
"This country will not tolerate pro-
fessional criminals coming in from
abroad'
Bailey Trial.
Led GLC legislation.
movement.
• Judge Stable at an Old
Court threat to NUM
TUC MUST CALL
STRIKE ACTION
By Janine Inglefield hands.
legal.
we ask the following question.
trade union
NUM have come under attack.
protecting the right to work!
tion.
Eight lead is necessary.
Emlyn Williams, president
and the leadership of the union.
THE EIGHT NUS. NUR, ASLEF, T&GWU
MODEL RESOLUTION FOR UNIONS/CLP'S.
This union/CLP notes: 1) TUC policy of opposition to Tory anti-union legislation. 2) The use of that legislation by employers against the NGA and the South Wales NUM. 3) The action taken by Price and Waterhouse to cut off funds for food relief going to miners' families under that
Urges: 1) The Labour Party and the TUC to set a date for 24-hour industrial action in protest at this unprecedented attack on the South Wales NUM and the British trade union
2) To call a National demonstration in South Wales to demonstrate solidarity with the miners and their families.
PRICE AND Waterhouse have sequestered two relief funds in South Wales and f1 million of the Welsh NUM's money from an account in Jersey. Some £290,000 of the latter was donated to provide food and clothing for the families of striking miners. As Gwyn Williams secretary of one of the relief funds said: 'If the court intends to get its money by starving our kids, it will have a big fight on its
And now, encouraged by this attack, two Yorkshire NUM members plan to take their union to court claiming the strike is il-
For those, like Neil Kinnock, who argue that trade unionists must stay within the law
. When a law is as blatantly unjust as the Tory government's
legislation must it still be obeyed? The Tory government is saying that trade unionists do not have the right to express solidarity with one another, to engage in 'secondary" action. Both the NGA and the
Yet through every week of the miners' 21 week long strike with our money they have used their courts, their police, their government and the boards of their nationalised industries to break the miners' strike to defend jobs. And then Maggie Thatcher has the nerve to suggest she's
They are now using this law to try and starve miners' families. Should they be allowed to get away with this? We say no. Now is the time to stop the talks and start taking ac-
leading members of the TUC General Council met with the NUM last week to discuss winning support for the miners at the TUC Congress in September. But the attack has come now and the movement must respond now. In 1972 when the five Pentonville dockers were jailed under a previous Tory anti-union law, 250,000 workers struck without waiting for the union leaders. Now, because of the setbacks the movement has suffered over the past five years, a clearer
The TUC must be forced to call action.
of the South Wales NUM, has called for a General Strike and a 24-hour general stoppage is the best way to begin to force the ruling class to step back. Those eight unions should be organising now to fight for such actions in the ranks
UNIONS ARE: NUPE, NGA, SOGAT, ACTT,
← Socialist Action No. 67, 27 July 1984Socialist Action No. 68, 31 August 1984 →