We thought it would be interesting to dedicate a dossier in this issue of
Anarchosyndicalisme to a series of struggles in the bakery sector that have takenplace or are still taking place. These struggles seem interesting to us because,beyond the distance that separates them, sometimes several thousand kilometersand different contexts, they are the products of the same causes: on the one handcapitalist exploitation in its most basic expression , and on the other hand,more subtly, the hierarchical functioning where everyone must remain wisely intheir place and where the word of management cannot be challenged. ---- These 3struggles - to which we could add a 4th follow-up to the legal assistance weprovided to workers in this same sector, but which was resolved without openconflict - all follow the same pattern: a boss , or a manager, who abuses heremployees without considering respect for basic work rules (long hours,exhausting schedules, etc.) and without paying them what is due to them. The samecauses producing the same effects, this clearly demonstrates that these are notisolated or fortuitous cases of a few abusive bosses, but of a generalized andsystematic system called capitalist exploitation. The fact that the same factsare taking place in Toulouse, Montreuil or Vienna in Austria also shows thatcapitalist exploitation knows no borders and that, faced with it, it is importantthat those who intend to resist it and fight it know how to weave a solidaritynetwork.Another interesting fact is that 2 of these struggles take place within anassociation which claims solidarity ("Patalevain" in Toulouse) and within acooperative which, it, declares itself downright anarchist ("The conquest ofbread in Montreuil). Associations are supposed to be non-profit structures, butin reality, they are businesses like any other (which Simon, the boss of"Patalevain" explains well in a post on his bakery's blog, acknowledging in a waya form of social good crime...). As soon as an association becomes the de factolivelihood of its members or leaders, major statements of principle generally donot last long. And this is even more true in cooperatives when they begin toemploy employees, thus creating a de facto hierarchy between the cooperators,holders of the social capital, and the employees who are subject to the cooperators.These stories are also representative of the struggles in which we have been ledto participate in recent years: struggles of former employees, who wish torecover their rights after the fact, based on the law and an external balance ofpower that speaks of a boycott , hoping to obtain an amicable settlement ratherthan a legal procedure (the Labor Court) with an uncertain and always very longoutcome. It is then the capacity of the workers in struggle and of those whosupport them to establish and maintain over time a balance of power, andtherefore to eventually establish alliances to widen the circle of support whichis decisive. If the solidarity of the CNT-AIT with other anarchosyndicates orsections of the AIT (International Association of Workers, of which the CNT-AITis the section in France) is acquired in principle, and that with collectives ofindependent workers does not pose a question since the principles of politicalautonomy, non-hierarchical equality and solidarity fraternity are mutuallyshared, we must question ourselves about our participation as an organization incommittees supporting the struggles of which we are not directly involved andwhich can bring together other organizations, particularly political ones.Even if the anarchosyndicalists are opposed by nature to any collaboration withpolitical parties or their representatives, because as the founding text of theCNT-AIT of 1946 reminds us, anarchosyndicalists "cannot contribute to the pursuitof the political objectives affirmed by the parties and he cannot link his actionto theirs. The constantly clearer affirmation of the goals pursued by the otherunion confederations and their parties forced the CNT to repudiate any alliancewith these forces on the revolutionary terrain. ", the fact remains thatanarchosyndicalism is not cut off from reality and that consequently "the CNT canonly unite its efforts with those of the other trade union confederations in thefield of daily action. ". It also seems legitimate to us to support the strugglesof employees against their boss, not only when the demands are legitimate and inaccordance with our principles, but even more when these struggles are based ondirect action, that is to say the action directly byhttp://cntaittoulouse.lautre.net/spip.php?article1259_________________________________________A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C EBy, For, and About AnarchistsSend news reports to A-infos-en mailing listA-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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