Miners’ WS 1984 – Women’s Support Groups


00.00 – Vote whether newspaper sellers should remain in forum.

02.45 – Vote taken. Majority in favour.

3.00 – Support Group begins. Women/Mines’ Wife Support Group. Three speakers. Fist conference for men and women. Groups have evolved because of a need.

4.30 – Erwin Jenkins, South Wales. Striking miners wife. First public speaking.

09.40 – Huw Beynon. Schedule for the weekend.

10.55 – Jenkins. Miners being arrested without support from the community. South Wales Women take an active role in fight for the miners. Women’s unity, is women’s strength.

13.10 – Heather Wood, Sean, Durham. Chairman. to educate the community against pit closures. Relief fund, run by women. Anti-Thatcher. Female Prime Minister cutting female jobs. Campaign started before strike – unemployment concern. Provide relief for families in Easington area. Meal service. Aim to get Women out of house to create forums. Equality for the whole working class. More politically aware. Educate miners, as well as non-miners. Police Sate – Easington.  Scab a NUM miner going to work. Easington people no ‘rights’. 600 pickets. 6 official pickets. 2,000 police in riot gear. Arrested for all offences. Police road blocks. Police escort. Tyne and Wear Council. Sunderland Echo. Socialist. Equality for all. Trade Union extinction. Fight for existence. Margaret Thatcher taken away rights.

27.20 – Marshall Marshall. Back husbands. Scabs. Dole money and carry on. Barnsley women’s group. Housewive no longer. 14 food kitchens. 4 parcel centres. Picket Lines. Mass pickets. Kiveton Park, Sheffield. Unlawful assembly.

31.12 – Betty. Political and social education for women. Women, now a great strength of the movement. Non-hierarchy. 6 months formed a moment. Consolidate movement. Recruit other women. Human contact. Neighbours, work colleagues. Kim Howells. Isolated Women at home. Wrong body of women. Press media/Thatcher ignored impact of women in the strike. Never should there be a future meeting schools without women. Challenge attitudes/personal attitudes. All issues effect women. Women’s movement an equal part of the struggle. 80% workers kept out on strike. Coal is important. Miners Union. Police state/government apparatus.

43.10 –  A Derbyshire Miners Wife.

34.40 – Questions. Painting donated by the Northern College.

44.30 – Kevin Green, Support Group in Kent. United front, cross-generational. Picketing. Conference for all support groups.

46.54 – South Derbyshire, striking miners wive. Education. 3,000 men. 20 striking miners. Shirebrook. Votes. Children beaten up. Miner husband the only miner in pit on strike. Isolation.

48.50 – Alan Cummings. when strike ends, important to support the isolated miners.

49.55 – Women need to recruit other women.

50.30 – Nottinghamshire. Violence on picket line, misrepresentation by media. media only want to show women in soup kitchens, handing out parcels.

52.25 – Other activities. Women sustaining strike more so than mass pickets. Baby clothes. New furniture. Change in attitudes for male movement.

55.10 – Apology. Modern Florence Nightingales. Call to become more active in NUM not just kitchens and welfare.

56.00 – Women by the side of miners. Role – Women’s section, as equals. Active within Labour Party, councils. Elected as person not just as women. Should not be a separate section.

57.55 – Derbyshire. Constitution. Trade Union.

59.25 – Warning to women. South Wales. Gas Board. Tower. Women took the Gas Board on. Battles to be won after strike.

61.10 – Isolation. Not to forget women now. Durham. Stopped supporting men in minority areas.

62.00 – Smith, Northumberland. Nationwide taken pressure off striking miners in Derbyshire.

63.00 – GLC elections.

63.50 – Shared ideas.

64.15 – Working together. Food. Labour/Trade Union need to be woken up to the rest of the struggle.

66.53 – Summary.

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