Isis/IFN received the following piece which we sent to the people already working in the network. Since it is still relevant and the women of the Domestic Employees Union still need our help, we publish it here for wider distribution.
Lisbon, Portugal-The Lisbon city government has marked the third anniversary of the Portuguese Domestic Employees Union by sending them an eviction notice. They are being ordered to leave the building they occupied in 1975, which houses their union offices, a cooperative laundry and cafeteria, and a dormitory for domestic workers who have been fired from their jobs.
The domestic workers have fought long and hard to change their work and living conditions. Organized as a union after the April 25, 1974 overthrow of fascism, the women began local branches in all the major Portuguese, cities. Over 6,000 domestic workers joined the union and participated in activities which ranged from workers' general assemblies where all major decisions where discussed, to union campaigns in the neighbourhoods to contact domestic workers. This often involved knocking door-to-door and meeting in the street - rain or shine - to tell domestic workers about the union.
Throughout 1976, the women in the Domestic Employees Union held marches, rallies and sit-ins at the Ministry of Labour, insisting on the enactment of work regulations. Heading the list of demands was at least one day off a week for domestic workers. They also demanded a national minimum wage of $125 per month; a minimum work age of 14 (girls now begin domestic work at age 8 or 9); protection against being fired; decent sleeping quarters and nourishing food. The government continues to stall on passing these regulations.
The Domestic Employees Union has been a member of the Intersyndicale Labor Union Federation from the beginning. But they do not feel they have received any meaningful help. The domestic workers need support in the hard work they have accomplished so far: for themselves, for the movement in Portugal, and for the international women's liberation movement.
You can concretely express your international solidarity and support by sending messages and financial help to:
Sindicato do Servico Domestico
Rua de Sao Bento, 337
Lisbon 2, Portugal
For more information about the Portuguese Domestic Employees Union, please write to Women's Liberation-News & Letters, 1900 E. Jefferson, Detroit, Michigan, 48207, USA.
A LUTA CONTINUA!
International meeting in Paris, May 1977
(See ISIS Bulletin No. 3) At the end of May, between 3 and 5,000 women attended what was to be a European meeting but which rapidly became very international. The aim of the meeting was for women from different countries to come together to discuss what links the women's movement has and what links it should create to other forces in the left: workers' movements, political parties, trade unions etc., and how the struggle should be directed. There were two central points: (1) women and work (especially in the face of economic crisis), (2) abortion.
But there were many different workshops covering:
- abortion, contraception, sexuality, maternity work, employment, trade unions
- housework, domestic labour
- repression
- women and children
- battered women and rape
- homosexuality
- women within left-wing movements.
Several resolutions were passed, including the one reproduced below on nuclear power. There were also numerous papers and the job of making a coherent report of the conference is turning out to be enormous. For the moment, a brief 8- page report in French has been made in a special supplement of L'Information des Femmes No. 18 Juillet/Aout 1977 (FF 4.-- from 14 rue Saussier Leroy, 75017 Paris).
ISIS intends to translate some of this report for inclusion in our International Bulletin No. 5 on Feminism and Socialism (see notice on page 39). In the meantime, we reprint the editorial text which accompanies the Information des Femmes report.
FOOTNOTE: the workshop on battered women concluded: "It seems clear that refuges are not the solution to the problem of violence against women, but they represent nonetheless an important step in this direction. "