Women Meet!

the Amendment _although a powerful women’s lobby at the Ard Fheis argued that it should do so.

MAIN STRATEGY -UNITY OF ALL THOSE FIGHTING BACK No group'in Irish society fighting back against Government attacks can win on its_own, _ The Govefhment is committed to a policy of cutbacks, denial of rights and repression against workers, women, youth and anti‘imperialists. The women's movement must, ally itself with these other social forces by means of debate and dialogue to announce loudly and clearly what women require, and by means of umited front campaigns to muster the maximum numbers to fight for specific issues. Trade unionists and republicans will not automatically understand ‘the Women's Question’ and its imp rtance in the fightback unless the women's movement vigorously confronts them with it: Branch [ublin] spoke to us about the weekend.

SR: This was the 2nd conference of the ICTU Womens Advisory Committee, what function does it have?

Mary: It is only advisory of course, but an importtant forum for discussion. A lot of ‘moral’ pressure can be exerted on the ICTU executive though a decision making conference would be ideal.

SR: Do you see changes since the last conference?

Ann: Well, more women are less neryouse about speaking and debating the issuesv It’s become and event and more women want to. get there. I think there was a high demand for observer seats.

SR: What were the main issues of this. conference? The second Annual Conference of the ICTU ICTU Women’s Advisory Committee took place on February 17th and 18th In DunLaoghaire, Co. Dublin. It was attended by delegates from all over the 32 Counties. Mary O’Donnell of Limerick Trades Council and Ann O’Brien of FWUI No 3 Mary: Oh! The agenda was packed, but some issues were obviously the hot ones —like job or work sharing. It’s true many women would welcome greater flexibility and a shorter working week. But lack of child care facilities is driving many women to split jobs and lose the protection of labour laws.

This is a step backwards. We decided to ask Congress executive to recommend to constituent unions against indivudal company agreements and formulate an overall policy.

Ann: | spoke on privatisation and cut backs in the public Jector. It's a big issue and is sneaking up fast on us. Look at Bord Telecom and the implications for P & T.

It's an issue for me, as an_-assistant play-leader with the Corporation.

INTERVIEW by Ann Speed We recently went on strike for more staff — though the corporation would like to reduce or eliminate us, to save money.

SR: Besides these, what else came up?

Ann: Delegates continuously referred to the moral hypocrisy surrounding Ann Lovett’s death at Granard. And we condemned the Employment Appeals Tribunal’s decision on the unfair dismissal of Eileen Flynn. The teachet delegates were particularly angry.

MARY: Other issues were the lack of family planning facilities, new technology and job losses for women,. education, social welfare. he threat of a nuclear war and Irish neutrality were also on the agenda.

aggressive posture and _even in spite of their invasion of Grenada, US imperialism has suffered a number of setbacks in Central America since the beginning of the year.

The first of these was the closing of ranks by the Faribundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN), the revolutionary front that is opposing the US backed government of President Maguna. The FMLN seems to have made progress towards repairing the damage caused by the killing of their second in command, Commandante AnaMaria, and announced that they have deepened the unity of the revolutionary forces in late December. So the US and its allies are still faced with an opposition that has not been split.

Moreover the FMLN's military capacity is undiminished. The New Year saw a number of spectacular defeats for the US-trained Salvadorean army ‘including the elite Allatad brigade. For example, the barracks of El Paraiso in Chatelanango fell to the rebel forces after just two hours of combat. The FMLN can move ‘freely in up to one third of the country and holds liberated territory in the north of Marazun and Chatelanango provinces.

facilities are run by the local people and a peoples militia has been also —_ increased the FMLN’s fighting capacity.

Against this background the claims by the Salvathe command of far tight leader Major Roberto D’Aubuisson, have begun to operate again.

It’s against this background of growing successes and confidence for the rebel forces that recent US government initiatives in Central America should be seen. The White House commissioned the Kissinger Report to give a respectable bipartisan cover to its dirty war. The Commission numbered several prominent liberal democrats and US trade union leader, Lane Kirkland as well as Kissinger himself among its members. The report produced by the Commission satisfied the White House by producing a tissue of lies about the revolutionary forces in El Salvador and the Sandinista government in Nicaragua.

In spite of the Report's lies about the opponents of US imperialism in Central America, the tide of US public opinion is running against the war mongers. However that doesn’t stop Reagan and his allies. Soon after the Kissinger Report, US Secretary George Shultz speaking about Sandinista warnings about a possible US invasion of Nicaragua, said ‘If I were them, I'd be worried too.”

This is not just talk. The US has used the cover of to cloak an enormous buildup of combat forces in Honduras. Last year the first exercises provided cover for the arming of the Nicaragua contras. Then in August the unprecedented sevenmonth-long Big Pine II or in counter-insurgency operations against the FMLN in El Salvador.

ELECTION FRAUD In the short-term though the US will be trying to use the elections in El Salvador to legitimise its policies in Central America. An_ election where voting is compulsory and where the revolutionary opposition timate however, especially when the revolutionaries are willing to participate provided only that the elections are organised by a proyisional government with FMLN representatives.

In the longer term a direct US military intervention cannot be rulled out. The US have already crushetwane revolution in Grageda by such means and will be tempted to try agai. Reagan must. not be allowed to get away with it. Anti-imperialists -in Ireland must: do - all in their power to defend the Central American revolution. alvador The Presidential- elec- _ tions held on March 25th in El Salvador are characterised by chaos and fraudulent practices by the right wing parties.

On top of this the revolutionary opposition was banned and people were forced to vote under threat of death.

Christian Democrat Napoleon Duarte gained 46 per cent of votes cast, whilst Roberto D’ Aubisson of the Fascist ARENA party gained 27.8 per cent and Francisco Guerrero of the Conservative Party of National Reconciliation obtained 18.5 per cent.

None of these parties | achieved an _ overall majority and D’Aubussion will have to fight a run-off with Duarte. Most observers back up the left’s claim that the whole affair was totally undemocratic and was just being used by the a pretext to argue thatdemocracy is operating in El Salvador.