An Important Contribution in the Struggle for Women's Rights: The World Conference of Women Workers, Budapest 1956

=== [PDF page 1] === WOMEN OF THE WHOLE WORLD 11th Year NO. 105-105 Monthly review published in English — French — Spanish — German — Russian Mas Cover: Every mother in the world, whatever her race or religion, watches over her child tenderly; she would give even life itself for the happiness of her little one, so in order to protect the child she reaches out across frontiers Peasants" by Le 2, French painter of the 17th century EDITORIAL BOARD 13, Unter den Linden Berlin W8 CONTENTS An Important Contribution in the Struggle for Women’s Rights Statements by Mme. Tsune Deushi (Japan) and Mme. Yolanda Pincigher da Silva (Brazil) on the World Conference of Women Workers Extracts from two Reports presented at the World Conference of Women Workers and Message of Greeting from the International Labour Organisation Indonesian Women traversed the seas to attend this Conference (Excerpts from Speech of Indonesian delegate) News in Brief U.S.A.: Negro Women play their part in the fight for Equality by Mrs. Eslanda Goode ROBESON We Want Disarmament declare the National Women’s Organisations GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC: Toys from all over the world by Otto KEIL The Emancipation of Women as the central theme of the Fifth Congress of Italian Women by Mme. Rosetta LONGO Without Pain” by Professor G. SALGANNIK How I studied my part for the film “Mother” by Mme. Vera MAREZKAYA Women write to us from all over the world 10 14 An important contribution in the struggle for women's rights: THE WORLD CONFERENCE OF WOMEN WORKERS Sak” By Mutual Help and Support we. shall win Great Successes | by Mme. Erzebet ANDICS, Vice-President of the W.I.D.F. Representative of the W.I.D.F. | at the World Conference of Women Workers... The Women’s International Democratic Federation warmly greeted the proposal of the World Federation of Trade Unions to convene a Conference of Women Workers. It gave its support to the preparations of the W.F.T.U. and its many organisations, working together with the trade unions to make the Conference a great succes. The reports and speeches at the Conference showed that this co-operation was very successful everywhere; that is why it is necessary to develop it still further in the interest of strengthening the trade unions and women’s movement for the defence and winning of women’s rights. Through its work of education and organisa- | tion, and through its press, the women’s move- | ment is able to make women more conscious of the necessity of taking up the struggle along | with men for the defence of their rights, is able to convince them of their strength, and contributes to helping them take their place in the | trade unions and in becoming active members of the trade union movement. | We bring our experiences the enthusiasm of | several million women and the strength of our organisations to co-operate with the trade unions; we promise that we shall use all our energy to distribute and to realise the resolutions of this Conference. By helping and supporting one another we can and will achieve great successes. oe WORLD Conference of Women Workers, held in Budapest, June 14th to 17th 1956, aroused great interest and enthusiasm in the women’s. movement and among women everywhere. The objective of the Conference to improve living and working conditions and to eradicate discrimination was greeted as a great event in the lives of millions of working women, and appreciated as an important contribution to the struggles of all women for their rights The response of women workers in the factories, shops, offices and in the countryside to the call for the Conference and the sending of delegates of different opinions and beliefs, of varied trade union affiliation, testifies to the timeliness of this historic event initiated by the World Federation of Trade Unions. The presence of 497 delegates and guests from 44 countries, uniting millions of women for their just demands, and the intense activities which had marked the preparations for the Conference, were a vivid demonstration of the high hopes and confidence of women that solutions can be found to their problems Delegates from important industrial countries, where women constitute 30 to 50 per cent of the working force, pointed out that wage discrimination brings great hardship to women and is not only an injustice to them but affects the standards of living of the entire family The Conference gave voice to the indignant protest of women who are being subjected to inhuman intensity of labour which results in an increase of accidents, nervous disorders, premature old-age, and, in many cases, even to suicide, as reported by a delegate from Denmark, and further aggravated by automation of production processes. One of the solutions offered by the Conference is to reduce hours of work and to resist all attempts to make workers the victims of speed-up One of the most urgent problems raised at the Conference of. vital concern to the women’s movement, is the particular conditions of working mothers and their special needs. The Conference revealed great concern for the difficult conditions confronting millions of working women who, as mothers and wives, have in addition to their jobs special obligations towards their children and their families. The full recognition of these elementary and human needs which women are denied and which for them are === [PDF page 2] === inseparable from the general social, economic and political rights, will win the support of women for the decisions of the Conference and help bring greater numbers into the trade unions The awakening of the African women and their ever srowing participation in the movement of their people for liberation and human rights, was once again demonstrated in a moving and challenging way at the Conference. The delegates from Africa spoke to the world through the Conference asking for greater solidarity with them, because they are tired of being treated as beasts of burden, denied all rights and lorded over by foreigners in their own ancient lands A profound feeling of unity, solidarity, friendship and accomplishment prevailed at the Conference. The delegates spoke of their lives, their needs and experiences in the struggles for their rights as mothers and workers. The many proposals that came forward in the wide exchange of opinions showed the maturity attained by working women in the course of the struggles of recent years in which they participated as workers and as wives cf workers. They have truly won a place in the leadership of the trade union movement, which to a large degree had been denied them heretofore The Women’s International Democratic Federation seeks to work with all organisations and encourages all actions advancing the rights of women as a just cause which concerns all society. There can be no real social progress without the full equality of women who are a moving force of humanity, the educators of future generations. Without their full participation humanity cannot attain its noble objects. The organisations of the W.I.D.F. understood the importance of the Conference and made a worthy contribution to ensuring its success, giving aid to and cooperating with the trade unions in the Conference preparations. Mme. Eugenie Cotton, President of the W.L1.D.F. in her message to the Conference said, «All over the world the Women’s International Democratic Federation “The chain goes quickly that it m us dizzy; it reaches a point where our hand and arms seem to beong to the chain rather than to ourselves supports the courageous women who, becoming conscious of their responsibilities, are taking a greater and more effective part in the economic, social and political life of their country. Great victories have been won in the course of the last fifty years in all spheres of life through their determination and unity. The World Conferenc« of Women Workers was convened on the initiative of th World Federation of Trade Unions which means that men workers are more and more taking into consideration women’s participation in the most diverse tasks which are taken up in common. It is a very significant encou ragement and will have great consequences.» TheW.1L.D.F. greatly appreciates the fact that three inter national labour organisations have endorsed the princi of «equal pay for equal work» which is incorporated in the Convention No. 100 of the International Labour Organisation. We are in full accord with the Memorandum to the International Labour Organisation adopted by the Conference and shall give every support to the new emphasis to secure further ratification and implementation by other countries of Convention No. 100. An appeal to the women workers of the world and a Genera] Resolution were adopted. The Resolution gives a full economic, social and political programme of demands which exposes the needs of women workers and mothers, around which they can unite. It calls upon trade unions to pay attention to the demands of women to bring more women into membership and leadership of the trade unions There was a deep feeling at the Conference that the advances made by women workers cannot be secured and that all further gains would be seriously hindered unless peace is maintained. Therefore, the Conference in its resolutions included the determined demand that friendship among nations must be established and world peace safeguarded; that production, sto: piling and tests of nuclear weapons be prohibited, that armaments be reduced and monies diverted to the needs of people everywhere MEMORANDUM to the Director General of the International Labour Organisation “Women of the Whole World” important memorandum which presents its readers with this the first World Conference.of Women Workers, held in Budapest from June 14th—I7th, 1956, addressed to the Director General of the International Labour Organisation. The WIDF, which conducts constant action in defence of women’s rights, one of the three points of its programme, greets the struggle of women workers pay and against all discrimination. J. HE WORLD Conference of Women Workers held in Budapest from June 14th—17th, 1956, bringing together 499 women workers from 44 countries, has expressed the common desire of the women workers of the whole world to obtain better living conditions by putting a stop to the discrimination practised against them and, in particular, discrimination in respect of wages The Conference considered the activities undertaken by the International Labour Organisation to improve the situation of women workers, particularly its activities aimed at implementing the principle ‘equal pay for equal work’ on the basis of International Labour Convention No. 100 The Conference considered that the adoption by the 34th Session of the International Labour Conference of a resolution on equal pay, as well as the convocation by the Governing Body of the ILO of a committee of experts on the employment of women, have contributed to the general efforts made to solve the problems which face working women today The activities of the Intérnational Labour Organisation as a whole, towards which trade union organisations of all trends have adopted a favourable attitude, provide a basis for understanding and joint action fot all who really desire equality of rights for women workers and who wish to work for the improvement of their situation. However, the realities which daily face tens of millions of working women, and which were spotlighted by the World Conference of Women Workers, show that the concrete results of these activities are still insufficient in comparison with the extent and urgency of the problems to be solved. The wages of working women are still, in the majority of countries, lowet than those of men who do the same work They are lower by amounts which vary between 10 per cent and 65 per cent, The effective application throughout the world for equal of the principle ‘equal pay for equal work’ has not yet been achieved except in countries with a socialist system. But in many countries the majority of women are relegated to less qualified and lower-paid posts Their access to qualified posts and their professional and technical training is still poorly organised, particularly in the under-developed countries. Millions of women who are employed in out-work, in domestic service, who work in agriculture and above all those who work in the plantations, have living and working conditions which are even more difficult and often inhuman Social legislation, without which women workers cannot really enjoy equality of rights, and above all legislation for the protection of mother and child, is still very inadequate, if*not non-existent, in many countries However, the problem of discrimination from which working women suffer in the economic and social fields and above all in the essential problem of equal pay can no longer remain unsolved. The removal of discrimination in pay has become an urgent social problem of our time. The principle of equality of rights and particularly equality of pay is very widely recognised; the competent body of the United Nations, the Commission on the Status of Women, has now put this problem, in its most practical form, among its first considerations Numerous trade union organisations of all tendencies as well as the international trade union organisations have included equality of pay of working women in their programme, and they work continually to ensure that the principle ‘equal pay for equal work’ becomes a reality everywhere. The only recognised and declared opponents of this principle are the big industrial and financial companies who make considerable additional profits from the double exploitation of working women