by Ros Sitwell and Ben Chacko

in central London

FEMINISTS gathered at the NUT headquarters on Saturday for the second annual Matchwomen’s Festival.

The “pro-union, pro-women, pro-fun” event organised by author and Morning Star columnist Louise Raw saw sessions on labour history — including the eponymous matchwomen’s strike of 1888 — as well as on trade unionism today and the effect of government policies on women.

Unison head of local government Heather Wakefield outlined successive governments’ attacks on council workers’ wages and conditions, while the NUT’s Kiri Tunks explained her union’s Stand Up For Education campaign.

TUC equalities officer Scarlet Harris said women were at the forefront of trade unionism, noting that while union membership was down 800,000 across Europe in the past year, women membership had bucked the trend and risen despite austerity and job cuts.

She had “never seen so many strong young women” as at the TUC’s recent young members conference, she said.

Activist and author Katherine Connelly recalled the victories of the suffragettes, drawing laughter and cheers as she quoted a challenge by a Mrs Savoy to former British prime minister Herbert Asquith: “When a woman works 14 hours a day she has a right to a vote, as my husband has, and he does not hardly work at all.”

A message was sent from Cambodian garment worker Eam Rin on efforts to unionise the super-exploited industry, while other speakers discussed women and fundamentalism, the fashion industry and the Grunwick and Gate Gourmet disputes.

Director Kate Hardie showed her short film Shoot Me, about how the modelling industry treats women.

The day included activities and competitions for children and ended with a rallying cry for the relevance of working-class feminism today.

Feminist campaigner Caroline Perez summed up: “The answer is to fight back against a society that does not treat women as human.

“We are human.”