THE LABOUR Women's Action Committee AGM took place last weekend in Leeds. Attended by 75 energies on the proposals that LWAC will campaign for in the context of the consultation and review of the Labour Party women's organisation initiated by was formed to fight for. Central to this is the question of women's conference having the right to elect the five seats reserved for women on the NEC.
This has always been seen as one of WAC'S key demands, because all the other possible changes that could be made to the organisation would have little effect, the organisation has some real power in ine party as whole. Giving women the right to elect their OWI representatives on the parleadership is not only step to creating a powerful women's organisation that exercise real influence over party policy.
Continuing Canpaign to win the widest possible support . tor this principle will be the centre of LWAC's activity UYCL the months. The AGM agreed take specific steps. both regionally and nationally, to ensure inal Inis cam paign is taken out into the the nightor Nus womenos the fight for elect officer to those that women are facin the Labour Party. will SCCK develop these links with women the student movement by working with women in NOLS to win support from Labour Clubs and hopefully from NOLS as a whole.
LWAC assistant secretary However Tne discussion the AGM proposals LWAC LWAC camunions at conference, thei between tions, on ine hand, the other.
division, it was agreed that LWAC would campaign for the election to be held comerence but on the basis of some seats elected by the unions, and some by the women's sections. It was agreed that a system of parity should again this Therefore will campaign for the number of NEC places to be increased to six, and for these to be divided equally betwen the unions and the women's sections.
Some concern was expressed as to whether this was the best proposal to fight for.Arguments were presented against increas WAC executive members Ann Pettifor and Diane Abbott this as resolutions have to Ensuring that these issues fully aired in the women's organisation will be LWAC's kes priority in Ine coming weeks. It was agreed thai more finances had to be raised in order to send out more frequent mailings to our members Other issues touched on at the AGM include reports of LWAC's work in the last year including the work that has been achieved in developin loser links with the Blac Section, CLPD, Campaign Group through Labour Left Liaison.
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party conference in October. The first priority of LWAC in the coming year will be to use the opportunity of the consultation process to step up the discussion around the key changes in the women's organisation that LWAC
apply on on