(en) France, Alternative Libertaire AL #230 - Read: From Self-Management (fr)

Certainly self-management issue is back in the political debate - at least on the far left 
for now - as evidenced by the last book released in editions CNT-RP. Of good quality, this 
collective work is mainly for contributions Aim? Marcellan and Gregory Chambat. ---- The 
first provides a history of the concept of self-management in the post-war period. The 
idea certainly existed before the word in the mind of Charles Fourier, the cooperative 
members, anarchists or syndicalists. But the term itself is relatively late: it would be a 
literal translation of the Serbo-Croatian, in 1957, when the Yugoslav socialist state has 
given a management role for workers' councils. The term will then make its way under the 
leadership of intellectuals like Georges Gurvitch, Daniel Gu?rin, Michel Raptis, or Henri 
Lefebvre Yvon Bourdet, all heterodox Marxist evolving towards anti-authoritarian ideas, 
but also magazines like Socialisme ou Barbarie and Black and Red.

It was not until May 68 and the adventure of LIP for the self becomes unavoidable. 
Marcellan then refers to the " tactics "of the direction of the CFDT, between 1968 and 
1978, captured a flag that denies self-management at the earliest opportunity. However, a 
little too smooth history, reducing the self-management CFDT a " huge decoy . " In fact, 
a dual reality there coexisted. Beside opportunistic confederal bureaucracy, tens of 
thousands of base c?d?tistes have sincerely vibrated for self, and brought it in their 
struggles. Many libertarians - ORA UTCL, unionist Alliance - played a leading role in this 
left CFDT faithful to "the spirit of May." Marcellan the barely mentions, preferring to 
dwell on an admittedly friendly group - TAC - but much anecdotal role.

Another valuable contribution is due to Gregory Chambat, which examines the "ways" and 
thus including self-management social movement organizations. It will be understood, the 
issue is the question of permanentat in trade unionism, and the risk of bureaucracy that 
entails. Is there an alternative to union officials? Chambat responds essentially that 
yes, "the activist efforts," facilitated by advances in information technology, leisure 
time, social law. It is however exempts-examine some arguments against - including 
inequality in the free time, and the randomness of pure volunteer for the administration 
of large organizations. A little later, his studies on the "reappropriation of the working 
floor" in the proletarian literature and the experience of Kanak popular schools (EPK) 
between 1984 and 1989 are remarkable.

William Davranche (AL Montreuil)

? Collective, From the self-management. Theories and practices , Editions CNT-RP, 2013, 15 
euros.