Working-class women lead the fight for fair work and equitable pay and against sexual harassment, the rise of the far right and years of failed austerity policies, writes ROZ FOYER
GMB women gather to celebrate Eleanor Marx
KELLIE O’DOWD reports on an event to highlight the GMB sisterhood
Prof Mary Davis addresses GMB sisters about Eleanor Marx, who founded the union’s first women’s branch
The Scottish labour movement’s rejection of the Supreme Court ruling on sex-based rights jeopardises not only the credibility of the unions but also poses legal risks and opens the door to far-right reaction, warns JANE McLENACHAN
ROGER MCKENZIE argues that it was correct to ban the notorious Israeli side who were likely to cause trouble in Muslim areas of Birmingham, but asks, given the occupation and slaughter in Palestine, why any Israeli team is being hosted anywhere
ARTHUR WEST alerts readers to peace-centred activities in Scotland in November
With the last bricks of the red wall crumbling in the Caerphilly by-election, Starmer and co cannot count on the spectre of Farageism translating into votes for them come the next general election, argues ANDREW MURRAY
ON FRIDAY October 24 40 GMB women staff members from across the seven regions of the union gathered in Marx Memorial Library to mark the anniversary of Eleanor Marx founding the first women’s branch of the union in 1889.
This event was to celebrate the real and positive stories and journeys of GMB women staff who through their hard work, dedication and motivation deliver for trade union members, workplaces and communities; making people’s lives better.
The event highlighted that although GMB are good at recognising and celebrating the lay members, women staff are often the hidden warriors who provide the essential yet mostly invisible work; the blood, sweat and tears that it takes to make success a reality and GMB a vibrant and formidable trade union.
The event highlighted that despite recent negative media coverage of the GMB as a workplace for women, this was not the experience of many who work there.
Prof Mary Davis, labour historian and secretary of Marx Memorial Library, gave a lecture on Eleanor Marx’s radical history and her work organising women.
Videos of women’s journeys from the different regions through the GMB were shown and many participants took to the floor to reiterate the positive and supportive environment they work in; some as long as 30 years and some as short as eight weeks.
Some pieces from Eleanor Marx’s archive were on display in the MML Reading Room which was a highlight of the day including a pamphlet she wrote on the “woman question.” The rest of the event was spent planning future events for GMB women staff continuing the tradition of their founder Eleanor Marx.
