At an inspiring meeting at Ruskin College, organised by the Oxford People's Charter Campaign for Oxford International Women's Festival.
Trish Lavelle, Head of Education at CWU, has just spoken about the importance of the trades union movement engaging with women workers. Really drives home the point when you think that union density is highest among women workers in the public sector and yet only one large trades union has over 50% women on its national executive. As Trish put it "in our trades unions, men still hold the leadership positions, structures and power."
If we are to defeat a cuts agenda which primarily targets women, women workers must play a leading role in the struggle. That means our unions must take the question of equality seriously, not just through mechanisms such as women's structures and reserved seats but by genuinely altering the power balance within the movement.
Liz Peretz, Unison Retired activist, now putting this into a local context and discussing the positive rays of hope. She has just described the November 30th strikes. The largest ever demonstration in Oxford with the vast majority of the people there women. Also, the way in which groups like Oxford Save Our Services, the Network of Oxford Women for Peace and Justice, and the Oxford Labour Party Women's Group are engaging with women activists and providing a focus on fighting the cuts.
As Liz says, this is so important when the agenda of the ConDems is to turn the clock back and force women back into the home.
Finally Carol Stavris, Unison Retired activist and organiser of the meeting, takes a step back from the issues and looks at the root of the problem in women's oppression and super-exploitation in the labour market.
Quote of the day, though came from Sarah Lazenby of the Network of Oxford Women: "I've learnt a lot this year but the most important thing is that competition means lower standards and higher costs."
An inspiring meeting and a real challenge to go away and look at how within my own union and more broadly in the Trades Council, we can support our women activists to show us how to develop the structures and the political context in which our women members can engage fully with the trades union movement and play a leading role in the struggle ahead.
