The 28th Regular MAP Congress was held from December 9 to 11, 2022 in the Spanish
city of Alcoi. It was no doubt exhausting for the delegations as the agenda waslong and demanding. However, he was exceptional. And that's mainly because of thecomposition in which we managed to meet and the program that the congresscommittee of the CNT-AIT union in Alcoa took care of. It was a more than worthycommemoration of the founding of MAP in December 1922. ---- Practical points ----We will start with two points that our union proposed for the congress agenda.The first was related to the climate crisis and the anarcho-syndicalist approach.We already opened this topic at the congress in Melbourne in 2019, then wedeveloped it within the working group dedicated to the climate crisis agreed atthe extraordinary congress in Bratislava in 2021, and we also presented newquestions and proposals at the congress in Alcoa.We were interested in which organizations deal with this topic in the countrieswhere MAP unions operate, whether the unions are involved in any activities (andwhat they see as opportunities and obstacles), how they view this topic ingeneral, and whether they are interested in further participating in laboractivities groups. We also addressed the issue related to the vision of anecological libertine-communist society.The discussion positively surprised us and was among the longest at the congress.While in 2019 this topic was approached in a way that we didn't quite like, nowthe situation was completely different. We had no idea how many associations aredevoted to this topic and want to be devoted to it. For example, friends from WSFin Pakistan talked about how, thanks to the support of other MAP unions, theymanaged to respond almost immediately to the disaster caused by the summerfloods. Based on the principle of mutual aid, they challenged the role of thestate in society and spread anarchist ideas among thousands of people, resultingin new local WSF groups in Pakistan. WSF has also become an importantorganization in the country speaking out against the climate crisis. We alsolearned valuable information from other organizations from Asia and the Pacificand South America, which already suffer many times more from the consequences ofthe climate crisis compared to European countries. We hope to move this topiceven further within the working group in the next plenary session.Our second practical item on the agenda was also related to the activity of theworking group, the creation of which was originally proposed by our union andwhich we were a part of together with other unions. She devoted herself to thedevelopment of a strategy for conducting workplace battles for small and start-uporganizations. The resulting document was received very positively and theworking group, expanded by another section, will further discuss its improvementand use.Solidarity with the CNT-AIT in Spain was a point called for by the situation inthe country. In Spain, there is a section of the ICL-CIT (InternationalConfederation of Labor; it presents itself as anarcho-syndicalist, but ischaracterized by authoritarian and reformist features), which uses the nameCNT-CIT. A number of CNT-CIT unions have betrayed the anarcho-syndicalistprinciple by their practice, which is also illustrated by the fact that theseunions are leading several court cases against our comrades from CNT-AIT, who arethreatened not only with penalties in the form of monetary compensation (intotal, the sum exceeds 1 million euros!), but realistically also prison. Thelawsuits concern, for example, the use of the CNT name and claims to property(buildings from the sale of which CNT-CIT would like to enrich itself). Thissituation is the result of a split that occurred a few years ago in CNT-AIT andlater affected MAP as well. From next year, coordinated international solidarityactions in support of CNT-AIT are expected, which we will inform about. About thesplit in MAP, we recommend reading the following interview from 2018 with thethen general secretary of MAP (part 1 , part 2 ).Formal and organizational items on the agendaWe were particularly pleased with the news that the congress decided to revivethe regular publication of the MAP External Bulletins. From 2023, a separateworking group composed of people from individual unions will take care of theirpreparation, which will relieve the MAP secretariat, which issued themoriginally. Bulletins were an important means of informing about the activitiesof individual sections and were published between 2012-2015 (https://www.priamaakcia.sk/4-Bulletiny-MAP.html ). The MAP website should alsoundergo modifications to fulfill a similar purpose as the newsletters.After a long time, the way in which MAP communications are stored and historicaldocuments are archived will be updated, using newer and more efficienttechnological tools. Several conclusions were also adopted in connection with theMAP physical archive. There was a problem with the Anselmo Lorenz Foundation(FAL), where the MAP archives are stored. Despite repeated requests, FAL refusesto return the archive and does not communicate with MAP. This is another exampleof the incorrect behavior of people from the CNT-CIT trade unions that controlthe FAL.Articles about changing the statutes often appear on the agenda of congresses. Asin most cases, this time, too, it was basically about trifles related to, forexample, terminology. In the coming weeks, we will publish the updated version inSlovak here: https://www.priamaakcia.sk/stanovy-map.html .Among other points, three from our union were aimed at facilitating the work ofthe secretariat and, in general, some processes in MAP.Membership and diversity of MAPIn terms of numbers, MAP remains essentially the same at 21 organizations fromEurope, Asia and the Pacific, and South and North America. Congress officiallyconfirmed the demise of the ARS union, which had the status of Friends of MAP,and the entry of the Organize! for the whole of Ireland.In recent years, MAP has expanded to countries outside of Europe, which makes usextremely happy. The Congress in Alcoa fully showed the diversity that thisentails. Especially organizations in Asia face enormous threats when spreadinganarcho-syndicalist ideas and practices. Some are connected, for example, to theprominent role of religion in these countries or the activities of terroristorganizations. The approaches we are used to in Europe do not apply in thesecountries. It was valuable and important for us to listen to our friends, becausethis way we can better find a way to help each other. The congress also welcomedthe proposal of the Indonesian section of MAP to hold another congress in thatcountry. It was also decided on a new secretariat, which will be shared by theunions ZSP from Poland and ASF from Australia.Congress organization13 out of 15 MAP sections participated in the voting on the agenda items, while 3other organizations that have the status of Friends of MAP took part in thediscussions. The course of the congress could be followed online via livestreaming, which was used by observers from individual organizations and somedelegations in different parts of the world.As is the rule, communication took place in the official MAP languages, which areEnglish and Spanish.An international congress is a demanding event. In MAP, people are not paid fortheir work, they do it voluntarily and in their free time in accordance with theprinciples of equality, solidarity and mutual aid. All shortcomings (mainly of atechnical nature) that appeared were managed to be resolved together despite this(or perhaps rather thanks to it). It was also great that even though some topicswere quite understandably emotional, at the end of the day there was a friendlyatmosphere among the delegations.Another positive was that most organizations came to concrete conclusions onalmost all agenda items, which is not always possible.Accompanying program during the congressThe Congress and most of the accompanying program took place in the spaciouspremises of the CNT-AIT in the city of Alcoi in the Autonomous Community ofValencia. The Spanish section prepared thoroughly for the event. Excellent veganfood and snacks were prepared three times a day for the delegations and otherpeople. Such hospitality and a friendly atmosphere helped the delegations toovercome fatigue and stress from daily several-hour negotiations.An extensive educational and artistic program filled the evenings since December5. The complete schedule is on the CNT-AIT Spain website:https://www.cnt-ait.org/centenario-de-la-ait-iwa-calendario-de-actividades/ .Due to delegate duties, unfortunately, it was not possible to visit all events.The two that were managed were truly unforgettable. On Friday, December 9, thepuppet theater group Títeres desde abajo performed with the play Čarodejnica aDon Cristóbal, which we already wrote about in the past (https://www.priamaakcia.sk/Medzinarodny-den-babkarstva-v-tieni-represii.html ) .It was a great experience to see this funny and touching show, which was easy tounderstand even without knowing Spanish. The play dealt with the oppression andpersecution faced by the anarchist movement in Spain by the state (the wholeperformance in Spanish can be found here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXUdL8BFBlE ).On the evening of December 10, the non-profit theater group Atirohecho fromValencia performed with the performance We bez mena. The stage belonged to 7actors and actresses, whose words and songs were accompanied by Englishsubtitles. The performance evoked strong emotions in those present, full of joy,combativeness, emotion, sadness... The theater collective managed to create atruly sensitive work with a wide scope. In the most tense part, the playthematized the militant women's movement Mujeres Libres from the 1930s in Spain.The play pointed out the demanding role of women in today's society, reminded ofthe need to fight for women's liberation and how even the biggest obstacles canbe overcome thanks to solidarity and fighting spirit.The Congress in Alcoa was the epitome of hospitality and care. It is difficult tofind words to express my gratitude to the entire organizing team and otherfriends participating in this event.We greet all delegations and organizations from different corners of our planetand wish everyone many successful battles. See you at other MAP events, includingthose in Slovakia ( BA , KE ), which will be held in 2023 in connection with thehundredth anniversary of the founding of MAP.Delegation of the Direct Action unionhttps://www.priamaakcia.sk/Vyborne-spravy-z-28-kongresu-Medzinarodnej-asociacie-pracujucich.html_________________________________________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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