Today, we cannot say that collective action and solidarity are very
common in workplaces. Many workplaces turn their employees into
competitors with policies aimed at producing more. In the service
sector, expectations such as promotion and transferring to a better job
cause "voluntary" overtime, often unpaid, to become the rule, even
beyond legal periods. The work environment, which is poisoned by
impositions such as "you need to improve yourself for your job even in
your free time", makes it impossible for employees in the service sector
to see each other as classmates with the same interests. A similar
competitive environment can be achieved in workplaces where industrial
production is present, with production regimes such as piecework, lump
sum work and overtime impositions.
In order to overcome this, it is necessary to transform the toxic
atmosphere. First of all, it is necessary to know the work environment
well, to determine what the elements that prevent solidarity in the
workplace are (sometimes the behaviors of managers, sometimes habits and
behavior patterns formed among workers, sometimes workplace rules) and
to develop strategies on how to change them. For example, even breaking
practices such as the prohibition of telling each other their wages can
be a start in this direction. Or, voicing issues that people may
complain about despite their silence can be a good way to reveal that
people are not actually happy. What is important here is to create a
common sense of "we", that is, a collective identity, instead of being
individuals who are isolated from each other, therefore feeling lonely
and helpless, and therefore unable to find a way to improve their
conditions other than working harder and competing with each other.
To do this, we should come together with our colleagues patiently,
without putting ourselves forward or acting heroically, and organize.
When forming unions in workplaces, it is likely that we will stand out
due to our experience and knowledge in organizing and will be seen as
leaders by other employees. It is undoubtedly important and necessary to
share our experience and knowledge and to guide in different stages of
the struggle. However, the organizers of the union should try to become
anonymous individuals who are lost in it. Especially in periods when our
collective power is not sufficient in the workplace, standing out and
standing out may cause us to be dismissed and will harm the organization
work in the workplace. People who constantly come forward and speak up
when there is a problem endanger both themselves and the organization
there. Those who talk to the boss or managers and take the initiative
when there is a problem should be people other than the organizers
there, who have long seniority, organic relationships and respect, as
much as possible. If we leave our jobs while we do not yet have enough
power in the workplace, there is not much left to do. On the other hand,
in order for unions in workplaces to become permanent organizations that
can continue even if we are not there, it depends on the initiative of
employees other than us. For this, we should encourage others to take
the initiative in different processes of organization and struggle. On
the other hand, we should be informed about basic political issues,
methods of struggle, historical and current experiences, the
characteristics of the sector and workplace we work in, and we should
educate ourselves and each other, starting with those in the union.
These are also important for the union in the workplace to have an
egalitarian and directly democratic character. In such an organization
where we can make decisions together on issues that concern us, we can
also share responsibilities and face the consequences together.
Workplace unions are not institutions that we are officially members of,
like unions. We do not report to the state like unions, we do not expect
it to recognize us, or we do not announce that we are there like some
political groups. At every stage of organizing, we can develop various
forms of direct action in line with our conditions to solve our problems
at the workplace, but we need to be careful not to reveal that there is
an organization at that workplace, especially in the early stages. You
can read our article "Direct action in workplace struggle" about what
direct action means in workplace struggle and the role of direct action
in becoming a collective power. After all, when we enter a workplace, we
need to work there for a certain period of time in order to even take
the first steps of forming a workplace union. In the meantime, we should
observe the work environment without rushing, map it, and develop social
relationships with our colleagues.
They are informal organizations whose existence and who is in them is
known only by the workers who make them up, and they should become an
organic part of the work environment. If possible, the boss or his
representatives should not be aware of the existence of a union in a
workplace, and when they do find out or suspect it, it is too late for
the bosses. It is inevitable that the struggle in the workplace will
become visible at some point and that we will come face to face with
managers, bosses, the state and official unions, but it is important
that this happens at the right time and how we act at that moment. In
situations such as strikes where the struggle becomes visible, the
bosses or state representatives (sometimes a police chief, sometimes a
governor, sometimes a minister) ask us to choose a representative with
whom they can negotiate. They say, "Don't talk to everyone together,
choose your representative and let's talk to him." The main reason they
do this is that they think it is easier to convince one or more people
with threats, bribes or lies. We should not accept this, and if we have
to, we should ensure that as many of us as possible, people we trust,
are on the board and we should make sure that the final decision will be
made together, not by the representatives. Even if it would make us feel
more comfortable to have a lawyer or "someone who knows these things" on
such committees, we should always make sure that we hold the strings in
our hands and that we will make the final decision together.
As a result, there is no single formula for organizing and fighting in
the workplace. Our strategies and tactics may change depending on the
characteristics of the sector and workplace we are in, how many people
work, the profile of our colleagues, the dynamics of the working class
struggle in the city, country, or even worldwide, or what our short- and
long-term goals are. However, the way to win under all circumstances is
not through personal heroism, but through the employees in that
workplace trusting each other, being in solidarity, and becoming a
collective force.
Source:
https://www.iscibirlikleri.org/2024/01/14/isyeri-mucadelesinde-gizlilik-anonimlik-ve-kolektif-kimligin-olusturulmasi/
Articles by Workers' Unions:
What is the function of unions?
Direct Action in Workplace Struggle
Privacy, Anonymity, and the Creation of Collective Identity in Workplace
Struggle
Fighting Nationalism in Workplaces
https://www.yeryuzupostasi.org/2024/11/05/isyeri-mucadelesinde-gizlilik-anonimlik-ve-kolektif-kimligin-olusturulmasi-isci-birlikleri/
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