Today's Topics:
1. IWA AIT: Attention! SAC COLLABORATE WITH THE POLICE!
(a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
2. France, Union Communiste Libertaire UCL - AL #304 - Culture,
Read: Steiner, "Les En-Dehors" (fr, it, pt)[machine translation]
(a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
3. France, Union Communiste Libertaire UCL - Children,
invisible victims of confinement (fr, it, pt)[machine
translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
4. Canada, Collectif Emma Goldman -[Covid-19]: Economy or life
... (fr, it, pt)[machine translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
5. France, Union Communiste Libertaire UCL - 1 st May: For Le
Pen protection for other repression ! (fr, it, pt)[machine
translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
6. Slovakia, priamaakcia: May Day's English special RTVS also
with an interview with the association Direct Action [machine
translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
7. anarchist communist group ACG: Starmer tightens his grip on
Labour (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
8. Poland, ozzip: Pandemic? Time for a trade union! [machine
translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
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Message: 1
The CGT-Spain, CNT-Vignoles-France and the SAC-Sweden have met in in a summercamp arranged by the Vignoles student organisation FAU in the
town Masseube in France to evaluate the mobilisations from Gothenburg to Genova. The SAC-paper "Arbetaren" has a three page article from
Masseube written by Bella Frank in the issue 35/01 (31/8 - 6/9 - 2001). It`s called "Syndicalists about the summers mobilisations". We give
you herby some quotes from the article that we suppose will interest you: ---- "During the debate, the thought of a new syndicalist
international was raised. But even though many thought that it is a good idea in sight, the majority thought that the time is not mature.
Nilala Hadadi means that the priority should be to continue to develope the cooperation between the CNT, the CGT and the SAC without
demanding ideological purity. They should even, according to her, cooperate with other independent unions" (from page 8 of Arbetaren)
On page 9 of Arbetaren they discuss Gothenburg. The SAC had the policy to denounce both the violence from the Police and the "destruction"
made by the demontrators.
"Among the French anarchosyndicalists it is huge surprise that the SAC was in a dialogue with the police before Gothenburg. They are even
more surprised that SAC-members did not expect that the police would break the cooperation- We could have told that to you- says a CNT member."
Then the article says: "The SAC must defend its cooperation again, but this time in another persepective that in Sweden. Orjan Bergsten says
that we inside the SAC and the "Goteborgsaktionen" were too blue eyed concerning the police- We were too naive concerning the police and how
far they were able to act. We hadn`t understood the huge power that we had against ourselves. A lot was made hidden behind the curtains, as
for example the American secret -service work with Bush- these things should we have been more prepared for,- he says."
And the article continues: "The secretary of the SAC- Hannele Peltonen means that it was correct to participate in the cooperation with the
police before Gothenburg. If this cooperation had functioned the way it was ment, she believes that most of the violence could have been
avoided. But even she means that they were too naive.- The cooperation was necessary and promising, but the police broke it even the first
day with the siege of the Hvitfeldska school. Today we would have been more sceptical. It is important to see what happened in an
international and historical context- it is a pattern in the increasing police violence and that the establishment is on the side of the police"
The Secretariat of the IWA can translate the whole article if you want and if you give us some more time to show that these quotes speak for
themselves and are not distorted from their context.
Oslo the 10th of September 2001
With anarchosyndicalist greetings
on behalf of the IWA-Secretariat
General Secretary
IWA AIT: http://www.iwa-ait.org
http://blog.cnt-ait.info/post/2020/05/04/Attention-%21-SAC-COLLABORATE-WITH-THE-POLICE-%21
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Message: 2
Starting from the narration of the life of Rirette Maîtrejean, Anne Steiner invites us to a journey in a time, an era, that of "outside".
The book is easy to read and the author takes a human and critical look at this adventure, full of lessons that broke down then fell apart
with the affair of the "tragic bandits" (the band at Bonnot) and the war of 1914 -1918. ---- Starting from the narration of the life of
Rirette Maîtrejean, Anne Steiner invites us to a journey in a time, an era, that of "outside" . The book is easy to read and the author
takes a human and critical look at this adventure, full of lessons that broke down then fell apart with the affair of the "tragic bandits"
(the band at Bonnot) and the war of 1914 -1918.
This journey in individualist anarchist circles around the 1910s is an opportunity to rub shoulders with Libertad, Lorulot, Mauricius,
Victor Serge ... and many others, all these activists and all these libertarian activists with tortuous and tormented social journeys. Anne
Steiner skilfully touches on the individualist anarchist theory because that is not the purpose of her book. She describes the atmosphere
then, made up of mutual aid, listening, compromise and sometimes less noble feelings.
But the book is above all the narration of the life of Rirette Maîtrejean. She was with Victor Serge, the director of the newspaper
L'Anarchie, which she resumed after the death of Libertad and the interlocutor of Mauricius.
Popular chats and free love
A life devoted to the recognition of women in this environment, yet supposed to be open-minded but sometimes very mean and macho. The women
of the individualist milieu were foreign to the feminist demands of their time on the right to vote, they advocated abstention. They were
not involved in the trade union movement but campaigned for contraceptive methods and abortion.
Through the pages, we discover this world of popular chats, free love, vegetarians and vegetarians. The author approaches with sensitivity
the questions of sexuality in this open environment, the contradictions which arise on this subject, but also her strong feelings of
camaraderie, this law of hospitality and mutual aid which will involve more than one and more than one in prison, prison and the scaffold.
Wonderful pages but also sordid ... The outcome is not always up to the hopes carried.
This world did not turn out to be so comely it looked. Witness the tensions between Rirette and certain individualists who did not forgive
her his "Memoirs".
* Anne Steiner, The Outside. Individualist and illegalist anarchists at the "Belle Époque" L'Échappée, second edition, 2019, 288 pages, 19 euros
The deep disagreements between Rirette's companion and husband, Victor Serge and Lorulot will deepen even more after the Bonnot affair and
the questioning of the strategy of illegalism by Victor Serge.
When Victor Serge denies illegalism
This last will know the prison, five long years, accompanied by a prohibition of the territory of the same duration. He will only come out
in the middle of the World War, ask to join the front in Russian units, will finally leave for Spain. He will reproach the individualist
anarchists for their non-engagement in the Russian Revolution. He will rally Russia in the midst of a revolution. He will have
responsibilities in the Russian Communist Party which he will leave, will be imprisoned again then he will reach Mexico to die there.
During all this time, Rirette will keep her friendship although they were no longer together. She will stay in touch with Louis Lecoin, May
Picqueray and a few others. Rirette died in 1968 when the ideas she had defended at 20 years old resurfaced.
Dominique Sureau (UCL Angers)
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Lire-Steiner-Les-En-Dehors
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Message: 3
The living conditions of the children have been considerably impacted by confinement, without them being able to testify about their
impressions, their feelings, and often without being able to communicate with other people of their age about their experiences. Outside the
radars of the detections of violence, relegated to the background of state aid, subjected even more than usual to adult authority, children
are isolated and little taken into account in this health crisis. However, the consequences of confinement on children are very real. ----
With confinement, children stay with their families permanently and are a source of frustration for parents, which creates a climate of high
tension. We can measure it through the most crude mockery and jokes about the torture of children, the more violent speech against them than
usual in discussions between colleagues or on social networks. These tensions are reflected in an increase in violence against children who
become the victims of confinement.
The difficulties caused by children are directly linked to their specific needs which cannot be met, particularly in terms of access to the
outside world or physical activity. The size of the dwellings, the number of inhabitants, access to a garden or courtyard, or if systematic
and violent police checks prohibit their access to the outside, greatly influence the experience of confinement. The various situations are
indicative of economic and racist inequalities.
It should also be noted that the loss of relationships with peers, especially for the youngest children, can be very serious for many
children cut off from their social life.
Pedagogical continuity is not educational for everyone
By deciding to establish " pedagogical continuity ", Jean-Michel Blanquer relied mainly on digital resources, requesting an adaptation at a
moment's notice from teachers, parents and students. The latter and the latter do not always have access to speech and do not have a contact
person to whom they can report their possible difficulties. However, confinement and pseudo pedagogical continuity bring out the class
inequalities between children. The digital divide is very real and makes some children unable to have access to lessons due to the lack of
internet access. The transfer of supervision from teachers to parents is also a factor of exclusion and inequality, since parents continue
to work outside the home or work from home, and many of them do not speak French well enough. .
Home school is also an additional stressor for parents, increasing the risk of violence against children. Added to this is that for many
girls, they are required to participate in domestic work such as preparing food, cleaning and educating little brothers and sisters, which
further increases gender inequalities.
An increase in violence
Domestic violence has increased sharply since the start of confinement. This obviously concerns domestic violence against women , but also
violence against children, the two being also strongly correlated.
Locked up with their families, children no longer have any possible avoidance strategy in the face of violence, whether physical,
psychological or sexual. The professionals of National Education and early childhood structures who are, in normal times, the first
informers of protection services, but also sports coaches, staff of extra-curricular activities, no longer have any visibility on the
children, who are therefore deprived of all observation and outside help. In fact, the calls to 119, " Allô childhood in danger ", Have
increased continuously every week since the start of confinement, alarming UNICEF and NousToutes, which launched the #EntendonsLeursCris
campaign on domestic violence. In the third week of confinement, these calls increased to + 53 % compared to the first week. Pending the
possible count of all the victims, the number of urgent calls to 119, including those requiring immediate police intervention, exploded by +
60 % compared to the same period in 2019.
LGBTI girls and children are singularly affected by this domestic violence [1], no measures were taken against them during the period while
feminist and community associations saw their activity reduced by confinement.
Violence against children necessarily underestimated
A system for reporting such violence on the internet has also been put in place to meet the needs of children who cannot isolate themselves
with telephone access. Obviously, many girls and boys who are subjected to this violence do not have access to the internet, and child
protection professionals fear the tally that will have to be made after confinement. Today, it is estimated that 52,000 children are victims
of physical, sexual and psychological violence daily in France. Locked up with their executioners, invisible behind the walls, several
children have already died since the start of confinement. Others have been homeless by their parents.
Child protection and confinement, the impossible equation
Many associations closed during confinement, making child welfare journeys sometimes very complicated to set up. Child protection
professionals were not even considered a priority for the distribution of masks and hydroalcoholic solutions, asking them to sometimes
intervene in defiance of their own health. Of the 350,000 children affected today by child protection services, more than 80,000 are today
placed in homes or self-contained accommodation. The difficulties are exacerbated in confinement there, and effective-as well as the lack of
financial means already shouting in normal times, make the explosive situation for children as their educator-ices [2].
We think it is important to consider children as subjects in their own right with their own needs. In addition to the need, like everything
for everyone, to sleep, drink, eat, etc., children also need to communicate, learn, explore, benefit from a secure and emotional
environment, be appreciated and respected. The impact of this confinement on children is not trivial as their rights and basic needs are
violated. This situation should allow us to strengthen our attention and our listening, and not to make children the scapegoats of a
situation that nobody has chosen.
Libertarian Communist Union, May 3, 2020.
Validate
[1] Defender of rights, Study on domestic violence: girls and young lgbt are the most affected , 24/04/20.
[2] Liberation forum, Refuse that child protection is sacrificed in the fight against the pandemic , 23/04/20.
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Les-enfants-victimes-invisibles-du-confinement
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Message: 4
" The coronavirus is serious enough, but it is worth remembering that two much larger threats are looming, much worse than anything that has
happened in the history of mankind: one is the growing threat of one nuclear war and the other, of course, is the growing threat of global
warming. The coronavirus is horrible and can have terrifying consequences, but there will be a recovery. Whereas if the others will not be
recovered, it is finished ". - Noam Chomsky[1] ---- In Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, before the health crisis linked to COVID-19, passions were
ignited when it came to the liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant project. Today, this era seems very distant to us. Currently, the Bureau of
Public Hearings on the Environment (BAPE) has been postponed and little is said about the project. Until recently, the subject had been
completely overshadowed by the health crisis. But beware, the aftermath of this pandemic, which soon led to an economic crisis behind it,
could be very bitter. The Legault government is in a hurry to send children back to school to reopen the economy, and it could also be
tempted to speed up the authorization processes for this large industrial project, or even inject money into it. public money in the name of
economic recovery. Obviously, this kind of project will be done at the expense of issues related to the environmental crisis.
Certainly, in the coming weeks, we will not have finished hearing the zealots of big capital for whom life in all its forms passes behind
the economy. Besides, it's already started ...
Polarization before COVID-19
It is rather rare for a subject to divide and arouse as much passion in the region as that of GNL Québec. It is true that in 2012, we had
the right to divide between the partisans and partisans who want that the host of lazy people pay for their studies and those who opposed
the commodification of education. In 2010, Jean Tremblay, the former magistrate of Ville Saguenay, had drawn us into a debate from another
time on prayer at the town hall. Each time, we found on the side of power and money the populist radios of the right and their hosts, highly
paid to agitate the communist scarecrow and demonstrate primary anti-intellectualism. Even today, we cannot escape it.
Potential unemployed
In 1967, the philosopher and sociologist Theodor W. Adorno held a conference on the new right-wing extremism. Adorno then affirms: "that the
tendency to concentration (of capital) always entails the permanent possibility of a downgrading of the social strata which were entirely
bourgeois by their subjective class consciousness and who would like to fix their privileges, their social status, and if possible
strengthen it. These groups still tend today to maintain a hatred of socialism, or of what they call socialism, that is to say that they
attribute the responsibility for their potential downgrading not for example to the apparatus which provokes it, but to those who have had
... a critical attitude towards the system ... "(Adorno, p.pick-ups , snowmobiles and boats.
Adorno adds: "the one who does not bow to the division of labor, the one who, consequently, is not bound by his profession to a given
position and therefore very precise reflections, the one who has preserved the freedom of spirit is therefore a sort of scoundrel who should
be brought into line.»(P.42) This extract wonderfully summarizes the mission that certain radio bins are given.
The professionals of the circle
" War is peace.
Freedom is slavery.
Ignorance is strength. "
... Hydrocarbons are green energies.
But unlike the crusade of Jean Tremblay or the student strike of 2012, this time we clearly notice the work of marketing firms and lobbyists.
Indeed, the forces for maintaining the status quo are hanging on and deploying important means to preserve the old world. After a marketing
firm, paid by promoters and paid from public funds, patented the so-called I believe in my region movement , the professionals of the
entourage supported a new initiative called citizen (demonstration for major industrial projects in the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean region).
However, this demonstration was white cabbage, social distancing obliges.
However, several economists and environmentalists have sounded the alarm against GNL Quebec. In 2019, journalist at Le Devoir, Alexandre
Shields, mentioned in an article published on February 21, 2019: "The annual greenhouse gas emissions related to the natural gas
liquefaction plant project Énergie Saguenay will reach more than seven million tonnes. This is equivalent to canceling most of Québec's
emission reductions since 1990 in a single year "[3]. We do not believe that the project will suddenly have more quality after the COVID-19
crisis, even if big business had to kneel on the ground.
Regions against the city
In Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, we especially don't want to be told what to do by the people of Montreal. But to be screwed up by an American
company with a billionaire at its head ... that we are takers. "Our future is not for outsiders to tell us what to do. What I am telling
them is that they are looking after their economic development. We will take care of ours, "said Mayor Josée Néron to the press circle in
the fall of 2019. What would we not do for a few jobs?
And that was before the health crisis ...
The present pandemic has taught us at least one thing: governments take action once they have either the choice or it is already too late
... So, with our mobilization, our actions and the implementation of alternatives, let's force the government and its friends of the
multinationals to fold! No to this destructive project!
[1]Noam Chomsky: "We are going to overcome the coronavirus crisis, but we have more serious crises ahead of us".
[2]ADORNO, Theodor W. The new right-wing extremism, Flammarion Edition, France, 2019, 120 p.
[3]Source:
https://www.ledevoir.com/societe/environnement/548264/l-etude-d-impact-de-gnl-quebec?fbclid=IwAR3130uyDnK0CK7sjDiuWWmJRXDGSV5l_iUNCWbRwqx4DkfLgBzz
Collectif Emma Goldman
http://ucl-saguenay.blogspot.com/2020/05/covid-19-leconomie-ou-la-vie.html
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Message: 5
This Friday took place on January 1 st May in an atmosphere ever seen. Private large gatherings which traditionally commemorate the
struggles of the workers' movement and their international character. The social movement has shown ingenuity in the multiple forms of
mobilization all over the world. While in the Paris region gatherings were prohibited by the police, the National Rally was able to hold its
usual ceremony in front of the statue of Joan of Arc. ---- In France, all demonstrations, even minor, were prohibited. If many people have
chosen to show their convictions via different alternative forms (banners, signs, collages, virtual demo etc.), some have nevertheless tried
to come together physically (keeping the physical distance in force !), in several dozen cities. This was the case on Place de la République
in Paris and in many other cities as well (Aix-en-Provence, Guingamp ...). In Montreuil (93), a general assembly of residents and residents
had chosen a collective public appearance to which the UCL joined. Police prevented him. Earlier, the city's People's Solidarity Brigade
organized a free vegetable distribution: it was interrupted and dispersed by the police, with fines.
However, it seems that once again this unleashing of security has been differentiated: at the same time, in the bourgeois districts of
Paris, Marine Le Pen and his sidekick Jordan Bardella were free. They officially paid the traditional homage to Joan of Arc so dear to the
entire French far right. There, no batons, no fines. The duo was able to quietly hold their ceremony under the watchful eye of protective
plainclothes police and BFM-TV cameras. Thus on the one hand, the free distribution of food is prohibited and repressed, on the other the
parades of the extreme right are authorized, filmed, protected.
If necessary, here is further proof of the public benevolence displayed by the public authorities towards the far right. Because we do not
imagine for a single second that Mr. Castaner and his minion, Mr. Lallement, could not have been upstream of this staging performed in
defiance of the rules of confinement. However, how can we be surprised, when the government reaffirms its authoritarian drift every day, and
its police in the working-class districts put into action the slogans of the far right without being worried ?
This differentiated treatment between the " first of the rope " and the most precarious, young people from working-class neighborhoods at
the head, between the social movement and the xenophobes, on the contrary reinforces our determination, our motivation to organize in action
class solidarity and self-defense popular in this crisis.
The libertarian communist union reaffirms its solidarity alongside those who fight and suffer state repression and fascist attacks. Bad days
will end !
The UCL anti-fascist commission on May 4, 2020
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?1er-mai-Pour-Le-Pen-la-protection-pour-les-autres-la-repression
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Message: 6
The English broadcast of RTVS called Slovakia Today has prepared a quality 20-minute entry dedicated to May 1. An interview with a member of
our association also took place within him. She spoke about the struggles of workers during the coronary crisis and also mentioned the
activities of the International Workers' Association and our campaign We are not on the same ship (minutes 10:15 to 12:45). You can listen
to the whole May Day broadcast here: https://www.rtvs.sk/radio/archiv/1487/1327603. ---- The following spoke on the coronacrisis and 1 May:
- Ján Ruman (political scientist)
- Martin Makara (student, publicist)
- Monika Uhlerová (vice-president of the Confederation of Trade Unions)
- Nadia Hladká (member of the association Direct Action)
- Tomáš Profant (political scientist)
- Jana Kapelová (artist)
We received questions about redundancies during a pandemic, activities at the international level, the situation of the precariat and the
campaign "Coronacrisis: We are not on the same boat!" Https://priamaakcia.sk/ koronakriza /. Most of our answers were in the broadcast, but
as a coherent text we also bring the complete text, including the Slovak translation:
When people are being laid off, there is not much we can do to help them in terms of keeping their job or getting it back. For employers in
capitalism, this is a logical and rational step - when there is no work, people are going to be fired. This was happening during the last
financial and economic crisis, and has been happening now, during a crisis started by a "biological" cause. In some countries, such as the
USA, this process is faster because of the more flexible regulations, but it is happening in Slovakia as well.
Of course you can argue that the state tries to help, but its primary goal is to save the system and the employers. If you look at the
measures taken in Slovakia, the workers weren't really helped much at all: many of their obligations were only postponed and their income
already increased significantly. That is why we as Priama akcia have already offered financial support from our solidarity fund to our comrades.
Judging by the previous crises, we can expect various austerity measures which will hit workers the hardest in the near future. Because this
is how capitalism deals with crises in general. Normally, we would advocate organizing and direct actions, which is what our union bases its
activity around.
One might feel that in the current situation it is nearly impossible to organize a protest due to social distancing, but workers have
already shown that this is not the case, as there are various possibilities to organize not only online but also in person. On one hand
there are online meetings, protest and solidarity campaigns, on the other hand, workers organize strikes, walkouts or protest gatherings. We
have already seen protests in Slovakia as well, like the latest case of health and social workers on Slovak-Austrian borders. People are
coming up with very creative ways of protesting.
Our sister organizations in the International Workers' Association are also actively organizing. For example, our comrades in India organize
delivery workers, demanding minimum income during the pandemic and also organize financial help for the workers hit by the crisis. In
Poland, our sister union organizes with precarious workers and the unemployed. In the UK, our comrades are supporting people who have a
problem to pay rent and are organizing as careworkers. The union in Spain is fighting for reinstatement of their member. All of these
examples show that nobody is going to "give" us anything unless we ask - sometimes nicely, more often not.
We use the first of May as a symbolic event to promote a campaign focused on working class response to the COVID-19 crisis. Its main aim is
to create a network of contacts and support those who want to be active in resolving their problems. We want to connect with people who see
it the same way and show that it makes sense to fight back. Also, we think it is important to respond to the ideology of self-sacrifice. "We
are not on the same boat", no matter what politicians and employers are telling us. We never have been and never will be.
The campaign has already started by publishing our view on the pandemic and our main goals. On the first of May, a pamphlet about our
conflicts will be available to download. It describes the workplace conflicts our union won in the recent years and shows that it is worth
organizing together with us. In the upcoming days we will explain the ideas behind the campaign in greater depth on our website and social
media.
The pandemic might and probably will worsen the living and working conditions and we think that only independent self-organization of the
workers can build a strong response to problems in the workplace and outside of it.
Slovak translation:
When laying off, people can no longer be helped to keep or get a job back. In capitalism, it is a logical and rational step for employers -
when there is no work, it will be laid off. This happened during the last financial and economic crisis and even now during the crisis
caused by the "biological" phenomenon. In some countries, such as the United States, this process is faster due to more flexible rules, but
it is also happening in Slovakia.
Of course, it could be argued that the state is trying to help, but its main goal is to save the system and employers. When we look at the
measures taken in Slovakia, they did not help the workers much: many of their liabilities were only postponed and their incomes have already
fallen sharply. In this situation, as a union, we offered financial assistance from the Solidarity Fund to friends who had supported our
struggles in the past.
Judging by previous crises, we can expect various cuts in the near future that workers will suffer the most. Because this is how capitalism
always copes with crises. Under normal circumstances, we would suggest organizing and direct events, because that is what the activity of
our association focuses on.
It may seem that in the current situation it is almost impossible to organize a protest if we want to maintain social distance, but workers
have already shown that it is possible to organize not only on the Internet, but also in person. On the one hand, there are online meetings,
protest and solidarity campaigns, on the other hand, workers organize strikes and protest rallies or refuse to start work. We have already
seen protests in Slovakia, for example in the case of babysitters on the Austrian-Slovak border. People come up with very creative ways to
protest.
Our sister organizations in the International Workers' Association are also actively organized. For example, our friends from India organize
couriers in the fight for basic income during a pandemic and also organize financial assistance for workers affected by the crisis. Our
sister association in Poland also organizes precarious workers and the unemployed. Our friends in Britain support tenants who have problems
with rent and organize themselves in healthcare. The union in Spain is fighting for the re-employment of its member. All these examples show
that no one will give us anything until we ask - sometimes decently, but mostly not.
Symbolically, on the first of May, we launched a campaign aimed at responding to the corona crisis. Its goal is to create a network of
contacts and support those who want to be active in solving their problems. We want to connect with people who see it the same way and show
that it makes sense to fight. We also consider it important to criticize the ideology of self-sacrifice. "We are not on the same ship" no
matter what politicians and bosses tell us. We never were and never will be.
The campaign has already begun with the publication of our position on the pandemic and our main goals. A brochure on our disputes is
available for download from May 1st. In it, we write about conflicts in workplaces in which our union has won in recent years. We show that
it makes sense to organize together with us. In the coming days, we will explain the idea of the campaign in more detail on our website and
social networks.
A pandemic can worsen and possibly worsen our living and working conditions. We believe that only independent self-organization of workers
can be a sufficient answer to problems in and outside the workplace.
Direct action
https://www.priamaakcia.sk/Prvomajovy-anglicky-special-RTVS-aj-s-rozhovorom-so-zvazom-Priama-akcia.html
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Message: 7
In a move predicted by many, Jennie Formby, general secretary of the Labour Party, and an ally of Corbyn, resigned with immediate effect on
4th May. ---- This was a goal of Starmer and his associates. The General Secretary is elected by the National Executive Committee (NEC) and
the Starmerites have only a narrow majority on this. They were eager to get rid of her before further elections to the NEC later this year.
---- They used the leaking of a recent report on anti-Semitism within Labour as an excuse to get rid of Formby, spreading rumours that she
was behind the leak. Starmer can now replace her with someone loyal to him. This means that practically all those on the Corbynite left who
held important positions within the party have now been removed. The Labour right and centre will now be baying for the blood of Karie
Murphy, a leading Corbynite, who oversees party membership.
Tony Blair, during his leadership of the Labour Party, filled the Party apparatus with apparatchiks loyal to him, as did his successor
Gordon Brown. They remained in control of the Party apparatus and were so hostile to Corbynism that they deliberately worked against a
Labour victory in 2017 and encouraged the slurs of anti-Semitism against the Corbynists.
An indication of their entrenchment within Labour is the statement of the GMB union branch at Party HQ, whose membership is made up of these
people, demanding that Formby "personally apologise to the current staffers named in the report".
The Corbynists are collapsing before the onslaught of the Labour right and centre, facilitated by the election of Starmer as leader.
The former Labour MP, Chris Williamson, has realised that the number is up and is calling for a mass withdrawal from the Labour Party,
saying that Labour is returning to the road to Pasokification (in reference to the Greek socialist party that imposed massive austerity
measures). He is now calling for the building of an extra-parliamentary opposition. We are dubious about calls to create a Labour Party Mark
2, like previous attempts - Socialist Alliance, Left Unity, etc - which become the fiefdom of Stalinists or Trotskyists, but Williamson is
right about one thing. As we said in a previous article,
"Corbynism is finished. Many Corbynites have now tacked to the right and fallen in behind Starmer. Many others, who sincerely looked for
radical change, should now re-consider their membership of the Labour Party. The real fight, as we have constantly emphasised before, during
and after the Corbyn wave, is in the workplace and in the neighbourhoods. It is absolutely imperative that grass roots movements are
constructed there. Diversion towards transforming the Labour Party has been shown to be an illusion."
Share this:
https://www.anarchistcommunism.org/2020/05/05/starmer-tightens-his-grip-on-labour/
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Message: 8
A month after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, you can see who the entrepreneurs and government want to blame for the costs of the
crisis: on employees and employees. At the same time, most of us today have no head thinking about joining trade unions. This is a big
mistake, because only unions can save us from hunger salaries and being fired. The Employee Initiative starts a campaign encouraging
employees to organize and create factory and inter-company commissions in new workplaces. ---- A pandemic and a growing economic crisis may
be the beginning of the most serious crisis in 30 years. This is just the beginning, but we can see who will pay for it. Instead of reaching
into their own pockets and the savings earned in times of prosperity, many employers immediately started "layoffs" on "good morning". To
make matters worse, solutions from the government's anti-crisis shield actually encourage employers to reduce wages and make working time
more flexible - both in the private and public sectors.
Despite government assistance, many employers are announcing group layoffs. Those of us who stop working are exposed to a drastic
deterioration in their working conditions. Salary reductions are becoming the norm. Working time is extended. In turn, the owners of
factories and warehouses have no requirements for pandemic safety, they save on protection measures. The government is chasing walkers on
the streets, but remains blind to much more serious violations of workplace regulations.
Employees terrified of losing their income often agree on even the worst solutions. It is understandable: In fear we have no strength and
time to think about anything but survival. Contrary to this reflex, we should now organize ourselves in trade unions. Only united employees
can stop the rising tide of crisis. Why? Trade unions are the only legally available force that entrepreneurs must reckon with. Unions have
the ability to block some anti-employee solutions introduced by the government's "anti-crisis shield"; they also have the option of
negotiating the conditions under which companies will introduce savings plans. Finally, they also have an impact on the collective dismissal
procedure and can use various forms of pressure on the employer: from negotiations to strike actions.
If someone today says: "I do not have time to establish a trade union", then in response should hear: just today, as never before, you can
NOT afford a lack of union on the plant.
If we want to avoid wage cuts, layoffs and over-work - let's organize and establish unions!
The National Trade Union Employee Initiative invites you to its ranks. You can join existing environmental, company or inter-company
committees:[List of IP committees by industry][List of IP committees by voivodship]. You should also set up your own commission in your
workplace. It's simple:
Just find over 10 people ready to set up a union, contact the IP National Commission and set up a factory commission. Instructions on how to
do this can be found here:[LINK]
After establishing the commission, employees inform the employer that they have established a union and from now on:
- Any change in work and remuneration regulations requires negotiations with the union;
- The dismissal of persons having an indefinite employment contract requires consultation with the union;
- Applying for a budget subsidy under the 'crisis shield' requires prior agreement with the trade union;
- Changes in working time (working time system, length of the reference period, rates of allowances for night work or overtime) require
negotiations with the trade union;
- Group dismissals must be consulted with a trade union;
- The employer is obliged to provide you with all information that is necessary for trade union activities (e.g. about the company's
financial situation, planned changes in employment, etc.)
Importantly, people employed on junk contracts also have the right to join the ranks of committees . Union representatives also have the
right to represent their interests, although pressure methods are very limited in relation to full-time employees.
One thing is certain: neither the government nor entrepreneurs will ensure that the crisis will bypass the world of work. Employees must
fight for themselves.
In the attachments you will find 3 leaflets that you can print and give to your colleagues from your factory. They contain information about:
- What changes in the workplace when a trade union is formed?
- Why is it worth setting up a company commission in your workplace right now?
- How can a trade union counteract attempts to shift the costs of the current crisis to employees?
http://ozzip.pl/informacje/ogolnopolskie/item/2646-panedmia-czas-na-zwiazek-zawodowy
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