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The recent miners' strike was significant not only because of the militancy and determination of the men on strike in support of their wage claim, but also because of the active solidarity shown by miners' wives in many parts of the country. In Kent, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, wives joined the picket line to demonstrate their support of the strike. They also developed militant forms of protest against local shopkeepers who put up "no credit" notices or refused to lower prices, and against the meagre pittances allowed to strikers' families by the Social Security The picketing, boycotts and occupations were a slap in the face for press propaganda, which has consistently attempted to divide the working class on sex lines in order to weaken the ability of striking men to stay out. This propaganda and consumers was opposed to the interests of men as workers. Attacks on their living standards in the form of price increases were blamed on militant trade unionists demanding higher wages.
backfired! The local press which was confidently predicting a "sex strike" was forced to record quite a different response from miners' wives in Nottinghamshire. They were perfectly aware of how much or rather how little their husbands carned. As the ones who have to manage the household budget, they also bear the brunt of the whole felt the pickets weren't "effective enough"". Mrs. Gillian with did so because "*the men did not seem to be doing enough to stop the deputies going in, so we thought we would try
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Members of Nottingham Socialist Woman Group picketed with the wives at Edwinstowe, and the physical and financial solidarity, through collections and poster sales in Nottingham and the information on Social Security benefits to strikers from the local Claimants Union were well received, as was the support given in other areas by Socialist Woman and Women's Liberation Groups.
The example of the miners' wives and of the Brannans strikers shows that working class women, both as housewives and workers, are becoming increasingly aware of the current attacks on working class living standards and organisations, and are prepared to respond in a militant way. Now housewives in Derbyshire are organising to fight the rent increases on council houses. As the crisis of capitalism deepens, we can expect that more and more women will move into action against the system which exploits and oppresses them.
Nottingham Socialist Woman Group An excellent example of working class solidarity in action. and a lesson in how to organise such action, was given by miners" wives in the recent miners" strike.
Keresley Miners" Wives United from Keresley, Coventry. proved that women can be a force to be reckoned with during such a crisis. After attending the miners' demonstration in London on February 14th, the Keresley women returned home more determined than ever to show their solidarity with the miners. They formed a committee of nine women from their first meeting, and approached the miners' strike committee with offers of help. At this point a certain amount of male chauvinism was to be seen in the miners' decision not to let the women on the picket lines. But this did not discourage the women in any way.
They supplied the men night and day with soup, food and hot drinks. Using their own initiative, the women asked to appear on the Frost show on the miners' strike. But they received what can only be called "a very polite letter" from Frost, refusing their request.
An example of capitalist "generosity" came to light at this stage. The women applied to Heinz, Crosse & Blackwell, Cadbury Bros. and Oxo for food supplies for the strikers and their dependents, and were refused. A "let the workers starve" attitude to the nation's workers on the part of the great food manufacturers.
Positive action came from the Keresley women when they organised their own attack on the country's biggest strike fund, the Social Security, The women cooperated in this action with the single claimants who, until this point, had received no payment at all. After great arguments with the local bureaucrats and threats from the police, the Keresley women achieved a victory over the Social Security by getting the single miners their payments.
This effective organisation of women has shown. throughout the country, that working class women can play a valuable part, not only in the fight for recognition and self-awareness. but also in the class struggle as a whole. They are capable of making their contribution to the struggle of the whole working class against capitalism.
This example given by the miners' wives shows clearly the way in which women not immediately engaged in a struggle can play their part in winning that struggle, and the way in which women can take their part in the major struggle to overthrow capitalist society.
Coventry Socialist Woman Group