C3. Syndicalism

May Day 2024: No war but class war. Fight the state and the bosses, not other workers!

“Around the world, the people of several countries find themselves engaged in fratracidal warfare, killing others in the name of various conflicts, usually created by those in power. Those who have interests to fight do so to gain or to serve an ideology or national hatred stoked in the people. These armed conflicts are distractions meant to draw attention away from real forces of oppression.

In Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Ethopia or Myanmar, despite differing circumstances, the results are the same. Thousands of victims senslessly slaughtered at great social and economic costs; young people forced to pick up guns. While thousands of Russians with the economic means fled the country to avoid this war, the army drafted the poorest from other ethnic groups in Russia and recruited the desperate poor from Nepal. While millions of Americans go without basic health care and cannot afford the basic necessities of life, the tax dollars of the working class goes to fund genocide in Gaza. These are just two very clear examples of how the working people of these countries are being forced to pay for or participate in a war that is not in their interests.

The International Workers’ Association is clear that the working class has nothing to gain by these wars or by fake national diversions that divide people for somebody’s benefit. It calls on all workers around the world to take a stand against these wars and, where possible, to take anti-war actions.”

IWA/AIT/IAA  Secretariat on Wed, 05/01/2024 

 

Pakistan- the anarcho-syndicalist Workers Solidarity Federation (WSF-IWA) holds first Congress. Good luck to Pakistani comrades. WSF-Pakistan first congress took place today in Karachi which was attended by delegates from around the country. Workers Solidarity Federation-IWA  (https://wsfpakistan.pk) @WorkersSolidar1 https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=818237896995125&set=a.206042364881351

Chile:

Solidaridad Obrera Press release

“Anarcho-syndicalist organization hold first federal conference 

Nuclei of workers and several unions from different locations in the Chilean region met at the first organic national meeting of Workers’ Solidarity (Solidaridad Obrera) in Concepción on March 29 and 30 with the purpose of working on the statute that will govern them during this first federal period.

During the day, members of organizations from the Metropolitan region, Valparaíso, Ñuble and Biobío participated.  The comrades  previously coordinated under general precepts outlined in a declaration of principles, and as friends of the International Workers Association (IWA/AIT), which brings together anarcho-syndicalist federations and confederations worldwide.

This conference continued the process of building and solidifying ties of camaraderie. The comrades discussed and reaffirmed  their commitments for their coordinated actions: the revolutionary purpose, the forms of action, the organizational structure, the affiliation procedures and the strategies for making decisions.

Among the agreements, the reaffirmation of direct action stands out. It is understood as the union exercise without mediators (state, religious or partisan) to face conflicts and the material and cultural well-being of the members; the coexistence of formal and informal strategies (legal or not) that would expand the range of action and dissemination of anti-authoritarian strategies in the world of work; and the intention to address and show solidarity with territorial struggles that exceed Capital/labor disputes with perspectives and actions inserted in labor matters.

The text of the statute will be drafted in committee and settled in plenary by all sections before its entry into force, with which the secretariat will be elected that must assume the determinations issued by it. 

Then this will be circulated by the common means of Solidaridad Obrera so that new nuclei or unions can join this federation.”

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Largely transcribed/direct translation from the Solidaridad Obrera Press Release.  All translation errors are my own and were not meant to alter the meaning of the original text.

Facebook report: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=385342504329970&set=a.135227639341459 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Solidaridad Obrera: Organización Anarco-Sindicalista inicia su acuerdo federal https://solidaridadobrera.cl/2024/04/07/solidaridad-obrera-organizacion-anarco-sindicalista-inicia-su-acuerdo-federa/

U.S. comrades, friends and co-workers Solidarity requested: Spanish CNT – AIT continue their long running struggle with Spanish IKEA subcontractor Foldeco. U.S. comrades, friends and co-workers who are interested in possibly doing an email zap to the US CEO / Chief Sustainability Officer of IKEA contact syndicalistworkersATgmail.com to discuss. Stand up to workplace bullying at Spanish IKEA contractor, Foldelco. IN THE U.S. Please send your email to the US CEO / Chief Sustainability Officer of IKEA. Javier Quiñones at javier.quinones@ikea.com Or, you can a message on IKEA’s “Feedback” page – https://survey.alchemer.eu/s3/90194087/IKEA-Feedback ……. What’s happening? Our siblings in the Spanish National Confederation of Labor-International Workers Association (CNT-AIT) union have been supporting a member who works at a company called Foldeco Development,Madrid, Spain.The bosses at Foldeco are a nasty bunch, Workers at Foldeco work 12 hour days without overtime pay. They are exposed to toxic substances without proper personal protective equipment (PPE). They are not allowed holidays, they are not allowed to see a doctor, and they work under the constant threat of pay cuts and dismissal. It is a truly dystopian workplace. The union member stood up for his rights, and was met with threats, harassment and even physical violence. He has been bullied so severely that he has needed medical treatment for his anxiety. He has been off work with stress since November. How can Foldeco get away with this? Foldeco aren’t exactly a household name, and companies without much public presence often face less scrutiny than more public corporations.However, it turns out that Foldeco make furniture for a little shop called IKEA. You may have heard of them.As far as we are concerned, until IKEA ensure that their subcontractors treat their workers fairly, they are just as guilty as Foldeco. We need your help to stand up to Foldeco, and we need your help to make sure IKEA do the right thing. If you are reading this, then we are asking you to contact IKEA, tell them about Foldeco, and tell them you expect better from them. We need your help to do this. When fighting against our bosses, the only power we have is our solidarity and our strength in numbers. We* have written a template email. You can copy and paste this and add your name, or you write your own message for IKEA. Sample letter to IKEA: “Dear IKEA, The CNT-AIT union have been supporting a worker at Foldeco Development in Madrid. Workers at Foldeco have told the union that they work for 12 hour days, they handle toxic chemicals without proper Personal protective equipment, they are denied holiday pay and prevented from accessing medical care. When a worker joined the union and tried to stand up for himself, he was threatened, harassed and even physically assaulted by a manager. I was shocked to learn that Foldeco Development supply products to IKEA. I prefer not to buy from IKEA if the money will go to a subcontractor like Foldelco that mistreats its workers. Please stop using Foldeco Development until they start treating their workers with respect. Yours sincerely, (YOUR NAME)” Remember that the person receiving the email is a worker too. So be assertive, but be kind. Remember to like and share this post too. It takes seconds and it makes a big difference. * [Adapted from Solidarity Federation – Bristol, UK appeal] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #Madrid || Labor conflict with Foldeco. https://www.instagram.com/p/C21m4f5KasK For the second time we have shown up at the doors of this racist and exploitative enterprise to make a show of force by our anarcho-syndicalist organization. (Read the full story in Spanish at: www.cntait.org ).

Columbia. Solidarity requested by the ULET AIT Oficial Unión Libertaria Estudiantil y del Trabajo comrades. “In 2023, our colleague [Andrés González]was hired by the Corporación CMAN school in the city of Bogotá as a mathematics teacher. Since that moment, several irregularities have been occurring, such as delays in salary payments that could take up to 2 months, excessive workload taking on all mathematics and physics classes for all high school students, and persecution and work pressure on the part of the directives with offensive attitudes and comments such as: “if you don’t like the job you should resign” and scolding and demands during break time.” ——– ULET AIT Oficial Unión Libertaria Estudiantil y del Trabajo demands “…..that our colleague Andrés González be paid what he is owed for his work, including compensation for non-payment of salary!” “We demand fair payment to the colleague for his work!” The demand is that “Andrés gets paid what corresponds to the month of November 2023, the bonus, the settlement and due compensation for the delay in payment.” ULET requests protest emails be sent to: admisiones@cman.edu.co ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Hello compas, if you help us press by sharing this image on the social networks of the school, who does not want to pay his salary to one of our colleagues who worked as a teacher and they owe him the last year’s settlement. School networks 3212252494 3102548790 Email: admisiones@cman.edu.co”

ULET AIT Oficial Unión Libertaria Estudiantil y del TrabajoULET-AIT (Unión Libertaria Estudiantil y del Trabajo) Contenido anarquista   · Hello compas, if you help us press by sharing this image on the social networks of the school, who does not want to pay his salary to one of our colleagues who worked as a teacher and they owe him the last year’s settlement. School networks 3212252494 3102548790 Email: admisiones@cman.edu.co

50 years ago on March 2, 1974: “Anarchists Should Never Forget: Salvador Puig Antich” “Salvador Puig Antich, anarchist and member of the M.I.L.(Iberian Liberation Movement) was murdered by the Spanish state: he was one of many. Below we publish a statement from the FAI and the Local Federation of Anarchist Groups (Barcelona) distributed in Barcelona in 1974. It hints at a history of Anarchist militancy in the ’60s still to be heard…. “the Catalan anarchist Salvador PUIG ANTICH, strangled by garrote vil “…in the courtyard of the Modelo Prison in Barcelona, was a scapegoat whom the capitalists dispatched an executioner to murder, an executioner” https://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/mkkxdb?fbclid=IwAR0UnRQ2ivCysSNtzMwYJDqqd_dRqu544XBWPS50HP7QfEtCVbPL5xanaAA