Made in Dagenham

The film then charts the true story of the struggle of these working women. Initially their grievance was that their work was classed as unskilled as opposed to skilled. ‘You try putting these together to make a car seat cover’, fumes Rita, the shop steward (played by the excellent Sally Hawkins) as she furiously flings an assortment of fabric pieces at the sour-faced unyielding managers. But the struggle extends to a fight for equal pay for women, a fight which they won, eventually, for women everywhere.

Ann Benton