GREEN Party leader Natalie Bennett today congratulated Louise Raw and the other organisers of the Matchwomen’s Strike 2013 Festival, marking the 125th anniversary of the famed Labour event that marked one of the key starting points of the modern labour movement.
Natalie, who will be chairing the opening session of the event, said:
“It’s very important that we remember these 1,400 pioneering girls and women, who stood out against the power of a giant multinational company, organising and campaigning in a manner that should still inspire us today.
“At a time when the government’s austerity measures are hitting hardest at women, when half a million people, many of them under-paid workers, are dependent on food banks, when young people are feeling oppressed by unemployment and £9,000 a year university tuition fees, this is a historical event that should be celebrated.
“The matchwomen won from Bryant and May important concessions on pay and safety. Parallels today can be drawn with attempts to make the minimum wage a living wage, which the Green Party supports, and to fight for a decent, healthy work-life balance for all workers.”
Green Party MP Caroline Lucas will also be signing Early Day Motion 337 welcoming the event. (http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2013-14/337). The Green Party Women group will also have a stall at the event, and Green Party conference has passed a motion supporting it.