THE CONFERENCE DISCUSSION OPENS NEWSLETTER CONFERENCE MUST CHAMPION

"J am sure the rank-and-file conference called by THE NEWSLETTER can play an important part in linking the problems and struggles of various sections of workers.

Many married women are employed full time, and pay insurance and union dues. Many more, however, consider as their three principal functions those of housekeeper, wife and mother, and take on a small subsidiary outside (or home) -, This ‘little job’ is viewed as a temporary thing, easily © job. : .

dropped; the wife pays only industrial insurance, and often no union: dues.

Many factories, e.g., food and confectionery, are run largely . ; on this type of labour.

The length of the basic working week in itself encourages . mothers to keep to the part-time job—in spite of the fact that they may make only £1 or £2 over the expenses incurred in going to work.

The struggle of organized full-time workers is pulled down . . by this source of cheap labour; and women’s work is cheap because the domestic work of housekeeping and rearing children is unpaid.

Ocean of ‘women’s work’

The ‘rate for the job’ is an excellent slogan where a male rate exists, and we should remember that in. many countries, such as France, equal pay is the general rule.

In many types of work, however, only female labour is used, The full adult rate should enable a woman to pay from her wage for domestic work, labour-saving devices, meals out, laundry etc. and for replacement: of labour power (children), just like a man or a professional worker.

The ‘little job’ often takes thirty hours a week. It seems to be a device by which. we earn a little money to make up the man’s low wages, and in so doing undercut the men.

Even those sectors of industry which have equal pay are These are jobs with a scarcity.of labour—e.g., teaching and transport—which would be able to achieve much better pay and conditions were it not that female labour generally is cheap. labour.

" Recruiting part-time workers Union recruitment of part-time workers is hampered both by the casual nature of the work and by the multiplicity of unions-covering such employment. Any rank-and-file links -would be valuable to counter this isolation.

The programme for our campaign would cover the main ’ problems if it concentrated on these fundamental points: a shorter working week; increased. basic pay; a ban on overtime;. the full rate for the job regardless of age and. sex;

part-time jobs to be reviewed and- brought. into line with.

the reduced working week.

London, S.W.2 Betty Russell. SHOULD GRAMMAR SCHOOLS BE .