How are the IWW, SolFed etc doing these days?
- Thread starter chilango
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love detective
there's no love too small
Solfed have been doing some pretty good things around individual workplace/landlord grievances, small things but things that can and do get results and builds confidence at the same time - they've also adopted a community policy heavily influenced by IWCA theory & practice (minus of course the electoral component) - they've also been growing quite substantially (substantially in the relative sense that is) both in terms of members and local groups
SpineyNorman
Inappropriate content removed
The IWW have been doing some impressive work around organising pizza hut workers round here.
elfman
罗斯
I hear lots of good things about both groups actually. They seem to be growing quite quickly relative to their size and are doing some decent stuff.
Alot of the IWW stuff has been more publicly organising around cleaners and pizza hut workers recently, but I've heard there are other things going on in the background too.
Solfed have been doing some good work on the anti-workfare front and been helping out in the Ryanair don't care campaign among other things.
Alot of the IWW stuff has been more publicly organising around cleaners and pizza hut workers recently, but I've heard there are other things going on in the background too.
Solfed have been doing some good work on the anti-workfare front and been helping out in the Ryanair don't care campaign among other things.
Smokeandsteam
Working Class First
The IWW LLW campaign in Exchange Tower is a recent one that springs to mind. Very good campaign but not sure how much active involvement there was from the cleaners?
The cleaners took the wildcat and direct action. Don't know how much more involved you want them to be.
http://iww.org.uk/node/676
Smokeandsteam
Working Class First
no shit sherlock
The point I was seeking some thoughts on (after praising the work done at Exhange Tower) was to what extent workers have got involved outside of the immediate demands of the campaign. i.e. in the IWW, wider community workplace/campaigns etc. In other words does the model promote wider involvement.
chilango
Hypothetical Wanker
no shit sherlock
How much wider should they be involved?
I dunno, just thinking out loud at the moment, but perhaps there's a place for a group that doesn't try to be a wider campaigning group, but that focusses on sorting out immediate demands?
(not that i'm suggesting that the IWW is or should be that kinda group)
Smokeandsteam
Working Class First
But how does that differ from a conventional trade union? Or an 'intervention' by a leftie group?
Wouldn't such a group treat workers/communities as passive actors merely asked to strike/campaign/whatever when told to by the 'leadership?'.
And I'm also not suggesting that is the IWW approach either - I wouldn't have thought it was but I don't know. Hence my original question.
chilango
Hypothetical Wanker
I'd like a conventional trade union that fought and won on immediate demands. That seems to be an issue with many TUs now, is that they don't do that.
Such a group need not be top-down, but a vehicle for self-organisation with a bit of legal protection that otherwise might be missing.
Like I said I don't know if that's what I would want the IWW to be, just thinking out loud.
the button
out on the kocker
Yeah, as love detective says, SolFed has been growing (South London local no longer fits around a pub table 
), and clocking up the odd minor victory, like this one around wage theft:
http://www.solfed.org.uk/?q=wage-theft-victory-in-south-london
and doing solidarity work on strike days:
http://www.solfed.org.uk/?q=south-london-n30
Most recently, we've been focusing as a national organisation on workfare (although being a federation, local groups have a lot of autonomy to set their own priorities). 40-odd people out in Lewisham a couple of weekends ago on a workfare demo organised via UK Uncut website (pausing outside Boots, Greggs, McD's and Primark), with more workfare stuff to follow this weekend and weekend of 31 March. Can't say too much about next lot of workfare stuff, though.
Non-workfare priorities (for South London) are casualisation, housing and gender. As well as continuing with direct action around these things, there'll be some leaflets (Stuff Your Landlord and Stuff Your Sexist Boss) ready soon-ish (landlord one is nearly finished) as companion pieces to the ever-popular Stuff Your Boss leaflet.
), and clocking up the odd minor victory, like this one around wage theft:http://www.solfed.org.uk/?q=wage-theft-victory-in-south-london
and doing solidarity work on strike days:
http://www.solfed.org.uk/?q=south-london-n30
Most recently, we've been focusing as a national organisation on workfare (although being a federation, local groups have a lot of autonomy to set their own priorities). 40-odd people out in Lewisham a couple of weekends ago on a workfare demo organised via UK Uncut website (pausing outside Boots, Greggs, McD's and Primark), with more workfare stuff to follow this weekend and weekend of 31 March. Can't say too much about next lot of workfare stuff, though.
Non-workfare priorities (for South London) are casualisation, housing and gender. As well as continuing with direct action around these things, there'll be some leaflets (Stuff Your Landlord and Stuff Your Sexist Boss) ready soon-ish (landlord one is nearly finished) as companion pieces to the ever-popular Stuff Your Boss leaflet.
I agree. I understand that the IWW could be going down the route of a mainstream union. But I would like to think that since its more of a grassroots union than most (in the TUC for example) that the workers have more of a say in their struggles. If the IWW was not certified perhaps the latin american workers would not have joined who knows...One thing is certain though that the workers in the the cleaning branch have taken more wildcat and militant action than most ppl in the left some of which just talk about it theoritically and through struggle breeds class consciousness and confidence?
chilango
Hypothetical Wanker
Personally speaking, I'd be more inclined to join a group like the IWW if it was an effective, no compromise grassroots "union" than if it was another anarchist activist campaigning org.
Obviously these are not the only two options.
I'd be interested in how people in the IWW see this...
Obviously these are not the only two options.
I'd be interested in how people in the IWW see this...
JHE
.
Is the Nottingham Solidarity Network anything to do with SolFed? I'd guess not directly, but I don't know.
http://nottinghamsolidarity.noblogs.org/
http://nottinghamsolidarity.noblogs.org/
Smokeandsteam
Working Class First
True but GMB Carillion cleaners and RMT MITIE cleaners have also taken strike action recently.
love detective
there's no love too small
the button
out on the kocker
well it was Lewisham
BigTom
Well-Known Member
IWW has been growing quite rapidly in the past 6 months I'm told.. West Midlands branch grows in fits and spurts, but has increased in the last couple of years, doubling the membership here.
As has been mentioned the cleaners branch in London is racking up the victories getting london living wage.. and it is a campaign led by the cleaners.. as for getting more involved in wider things, or if they would have got involved if IWW wasn't certified, I have no idea, I don't know if anyone here is from IWW London GMB, they'd have a better idea.
But I don't think it'd be right to be critical or regard IWW as the same as other TUC unions even if they don't/aren't, the reason being that IWW will give you the tools, information and support to organise yourself, and members will act in solidarity where asked, rather than it coming down from the leadership.
So IWW doesn't have any full time officers. We might in the future, but they will be elected and recallable by the membership. I'm not overly happy about FTOs at all - though think they may be needed as the union grows and might be worthwhile to help the union grow, and I would not remain in IWW if they were appointed.
In this way (aside from the "one big union" thing, and the commitment to revolution in our preamble - both of which are relatively minor) we differ structurally from TUC unions.
As the union grows the idea will be to remain a grassroots, rank and file union that is there to help its members take action in the workplace, not to become a service union that is there to provide cheap insurance for its members, or a top-down union which is about protecting members but is not responsive to them.
There is a big divide in the union, which is looking like it'll be a real issue, between those who see IWW as a network of militant, anarcho-syndicalist, workers within the TUC and those who see IWW as a straight union (industrial, rather than trade simply because of the "one big union" as far as I can tell - we don't represent a trade, we represent all workers.. including unemployed workers).
For me personally, I see IWW as a union.. militant, rank and file, class conscious. In this way it differs itself from the TUC unions - espcially those like USDAW which have cosy relationships with the employers. Less so from those like RMT that do not.
I think that if you want an anarchist campaigning organisation you can go to AFed for pure political stuff, or SolFed for more workplace focused things. Before certification, IWW and SolFed occupied much the same space, but as IWW moves towards a more standard union model, there becomes more distinction between the two.. but I still think there will be a gap betwen IWW and RMT. I see this as being a good thing. if IWW becomes compromised through certification and growth, if elected FTOs lead to a situation where the union is no longer rank and file led, then I will leave and join SolFed.. and I'm sure others will too.
As has been mentioned the cleaners branch in London is racking up the victories getting london living wage.. and it is a campaign led by the cleaners.. as for getting more involved in wider things, or if they would have got involved if IWW wasn't certified, I have no idea, I don't know if anyone here is from IWW London GMB, they'd have a better idea.
But I don't think it'd be right to be critical or regard IWW as the same as other TUC unions even if they don't/aren't, the reason being that IWW will give you the tools, information and support to organise yourself, and members will act in solidarity where asked, rather than it coming down from the leadership.
So IWW doesn't have any full time officers. We might in the future, but they will be elected and recallable by the membership. I'm not overly happy about FTOs at all - though think they may be needed as the union grows and might be worthwhile to help the union grow, and I would not remain in IWW if they were appointed.
In this way (aside from the "one big union" thing, and the commitment to revolution in our preamble - both of which are relatively minor) we differ structurally from TUC unions.
As the union grows the idea will be to remain a grassroots, rank and file union that is there to help its members take action in the workplace, not to become a service union that is there to provide cheap insurance for its members, or a top-down union which is about protecting members but is not responsive to them.
There is a big divide in the union, which is looking like it'll be a real issue, between those who see IWW as a network of militant, anarcho-syndicalist, workers within the TUC and those who see IWW as a straight union (industrial, rather than trade simply because of the "one big union" as far as I can tell - we don't represent a trade, we represent all workers.. including unemployed workers).
For me personally, I see IWW as a union.. militant, rank and file, class conscious. In this way it differs itself from the TUC unions - espcially those like USDAW which have cosy relationships with the employers. Less so from those like RMT that do not.
I think that if you want an anarchist campaigning organisation you can go to AFed for pure political stuff, or SolFed for more workplace focused things. Before certification, IWW and SolFed occupied much the same space, but as IWW moves towards a more standard union model, there becomes more distinction between the two.. but I still think there will be a gap betwen IWW and RMT. I see this as being a good thing. if IWW becomes compromised through certification and growth, if elected FTOs lead to a situation where the union is no longer rank and file led, then I will leave and join SolFed.. and I'm sure others will too.
I have been very impressed by Solfed recently, I think that love detective is right, they've taken a lot from groups like IWCA, LCAP, HSG etc and built on it in a good way.
The IWW seems to be very patchy excellent in places, but a waste of time near me for example - and I think that is a cultural issue more than structural, local groups have been doing their own thing for a long time, it lacks a common political strategic goal.
The IWW seems to be very patchy excellent in places, but a waste of time near me for example - and I think that is a cultural issue more than structural, local groups have been doing their own thing for a long time, it lacks a common political strategic goal.
the button
out on the kocker
While I'm plugging SolFed, some might be interested in the week of action of RyanAir, which is ...er, now.
http://www.solfed.org.uk/?q=solfed/ryanair-dont-care-week-of-international-action
.... and a bit of background here, an interview with John Foley, (aka That Bloke Who Handcuffed Himself To The Goalposts At That Football Match).
http://www.solfed.org.uk/?q=ryanair-dont-care-campaign-review-of-2011
http://www.solfed.org.uk/?q=solfed/ryanair-dont-care-week-of-international-action
.... and a bit of background here, an interview with John Foley, (aka That Bloke Who Handcuffed Himself To The Goalposts At That Football Match).
http://www.solfed.org.uk/?q=ryanair-dont-care-campaign-review-of-2011
love detective
there's no love too small
i've just this minute booked a flight with them - i feel a bit like cheqs (re crossing a picket line, not the pedophilia)
(re crossing a picket line, not the pedophilia)i've just this minute booked a flight with them - i feel a bit like cheqs
The Black Hand
Unclean
Sol Fed vary widely, embarrassing practices in the NE (W Yorks SF 'organise an event' in Toon and don't attend!? and fails to talk with the active class struggle anarchist group that meets regularly in the region and does stuff). I also hear they are burdoned by economism, and leave when they can't get their way, and that appears to be similar to the brinkmanship attempted in the IWW by SF at the minute with the strategy conference soon. 'Pass our resolutions or we leave', which is the same opportunist and charletan tactics the trots use (wreck or rule, and try to recruit along the way). All of which is instead of real politics.
The IWW in the NE you have not put any effort into, talk yeah, but talk is cheap (Like some of the other @'s locally who trade in cliche). It was the only thing going in the North East for a while too, and the old secretary was doing well b4 he left the region. The people involved are doing their best with what they have, & it still remains the best bet in the area for union activity. You should try getting that idea that was discussed a while back in the IWW off the ground practically otherwise there is no ground for critique, as a 'new organisation' won't solve that lack of activity, it won't suddenly just appear.
the button
out on the kocker
Must be doing something right. 
The Black Hand
Unclean
Whatever.Must be doing something right.
love detective
there's no love too small
Must be doing something right.
bet you've never even been to a durham miners gala though
Panegyric for Dave, Davey, David, Dave, Davey, Davey, Davey, Davey (DDDDDDDD)
The39thStep
Urban critical thinker
The Black Hand
Unclean
The complacency of the ultra left and some anarchists around here is appalling/amusing (delete as applicable). All in this Ultra left garden is rosy, there are no problems with their strategy, tactics and effects obviously. Though the problem is they've got eyes but cannot see, and are selling junk ad infinitum despite its irrelevance....
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