1. Definition of anarchosyndicalism ---- The anarchist discourse, in support of
the union option, offered elements of undeniable value for the struggles of thelabor movement. The formulation and dissemination of anarchist models of actionand organization (direct action, autonomy, the federalist principle, assemblyism,etc.) are contributions of militant anarchism, developed within currentsrevolutionary workers. ---- These contributions, taken up by the structuralphenomenon of syndicalism, have been applied on multiple occasions, in accordancewith anarchist content, despite the obvious difficulties inherent in anytransposition from theory to practice. ---- This is a rigorously exact fact;however, the manifest impotence of the anarchosyndicalist organization totranslate these contributions into facts without violating its anarchist contentsis no less true. This problem is so real that, constantly, within the unionstructure, a phenomenon of "redefinition" of anarchist contributions isunleashed, with the tendency to distort them and limit their projection to theonly normative furrow of the organization.On several occasions, even within the anarchosyndicalist structure, distortedformulas such as "class union, self-sufficient unionism" have been disseminated,which are in clear and flagrant contradiction with anarchist ideas.If these two formulas prevailed, the anarchosyndicalist structure would becomethe exclusive element of the anarchist revolution. And if the realization of thisrevolution without the participation of the anarchosyndicalist organizations isunthinkable, it is no less true that this revolution cannot be realized eitherwithout the participation of all the social sectors which, on the margins of theoption trade union, work for the achievement of libertarian objectives. If thetendencies which defend the autonomy of the organization vis-a-vis the systemfall into this adulterant "redefinition" created by the structures, thephenomenon of adulteration becomes even more serious when the "redefinition" isformulated by these other tendencies ready to accept the institutionalization ofanarchosyndicalism, as is currently the case in Spain where recognized militants,with a long anarchist past, contaminated by a kind of plague (the "institutionalsyndrome" which is devastating Spanish civil society) defend theinstitutionalization of the CNT; then the "redefinition" reaches an unacceptableadulteration.A serene reflection on all these contradictions leads us to suspect that anydefinition limits perspective and that any structure tends to a complete,definitive, exclusive and closed "redefinition".Summing up, we say that the syndicalist structure collects the contributions ofanarchist action and organization, interprets them and translates them into itsown framework, but although anarchism offers these elements, it has neverformulated a definition of anarchosyndicalism. It is within this union structurethat such a definition has repeatedly been insisted on, above all todifferentiate it from a certain revolutionary unionism brandished by certainMarxist political parties, without this desire to differentiate itself havingbeen able to prevent the introduction of deforming elements.We believe that the anarchist substance of trade unionism should not be fixed bya definition, but that this substance must be signified by the orientation andthe content of its action.2. Impasse of trade unionismWhen, after the Second World War, the most important union demands were acceptedby the System (social security, labor rights, recognition of the union by thecompany) which until the 1930s were partially, but not universally recognized ,all the major trade union organizations remain, voluntarily, integrated into thesystem as essential institutions for its gearing.On the other hand, the process of negotiation of collective agreements,particularly in the industrial sector, being subject to the regulation,codification and ordinances of the Government Administration - previouslypromulgated by the Legislative Power - it constitutes one of the most importantelements. more important, even indispensable, for the development of capitalistexploitation. The trade unions, by accepting the said negotiation process,facilitate the perfection of the exploitation of the workers.Syndicalism, by becoming institutionalized, lost its freedom of action andthought to compensate for it with a so-called social security and employment.The "arbitrary dismissal" (with which the worker loses the right and theguarantee of his job), the growing "submerged economy" (by means of which theemployers evade the payment of taxes intended for the social benefits of theworkers) and finally, the technological reconversion, whose doctrine is theincrease in the pace and volume of production and the reduction of jobs, are,fundamentally, the factors that determine the irresistible growth of a tendencyto job insecurity and to social insecurity in production relations.As can be seen in this process of rigorous integration, trade unionism loses itsfreedom of action as well as the possibility of truly defending the safety ofwork and the social security of workers.In this process of integration an absolutely antagonistic and irreversiblecontradiction has developed. Indeed, the members who make up the trade unionapparatus are granted by Capital and by the State a privileged status compared tothe rest of the workers, which is the beginning of a widely developed process oftheir submission. to devices. The direct structures of the workers (the tradeunions) thus lose their role of protagonist.The "apparatuses" replace the trade union movement and the revolutionary optionof the trade union organized labor movement is, once again, neutralized. It iswithin this framework of the undeniable impasse of trade unionism, as arevolutionary option, that the role of anarchosyndicalism, the only proposal forworkers' action that resists integration, must be analyzed.In this regard, the first critical observation that must be made is that of ananarchosyndicalist organization which would focus its action on the improvementof trade union demands (widening of social security coverage, lowering of theretirement age, reduction of the day of work, increase in rest time, extension ofall the advantages to the discriminated sectors, etc.), that is to say in anenlargement and improvement of the application and operation of the claims whichhave contributed to a greater refinement of operation.Anarchosyndicalism therefore struggles in a circle that encloses it: it ispowerless to advance towards the ends of social transformation, it continues tobe confronted and confronted with integration, at the same time as it advocatesthe extension and refinement of demands which, objectively, facilitatedintegration into the system of the organized labor movement. The impasse ofanarchosyndicalism is also undeniable.To believe that the impasse of collaborationist unionism facilitates the rise ofanarchosyndicalism is a mistake; the revolutionary impasse of this one triggers aphenomenon of dragging which globally harms the trade-union movement.But it is inappropriate to speak of the crisis of trade unionism without relatingit to the general crisis of all the institutions and currents of civil society.Crisis which causes the same "phenomenon of training" and which affects the wholesocial body, including organizations, entities and anarchist currents.Anarchist critics of syndicalism should ask themselves if it is the cause of therevolutionary crisis, or simply if its impasse is only an effect of a generalcrisis, which also includes the crisis of anarchism.3. Necessity of an anarchosyndicalist structureDespite the current impasse, despite the contradictions and insufficiencies thathave manifested themselves within the anarchosyndicalist organization throughoutits history, we must resolutely reject the idea of its destructuring.The rise of the various currents of anarchism has needed and continues to need avertebrate, stable organization, capable of catalyzing the action of all theoptions that manifest themselves in anarchism.Of all the organizations the movement has known, none has covered this needbetter than anarchosyndicalism. Where the anarchosyndicalist discourse has nottranslated into an influential organization, anarchism has only vegetated. It istrue that the catalysing function of the anarchosyndicalist structure isconstantly questioned today, but no discourse from the libertarian movement hasproposed the creation of a structure capable of fulfilling this function. Theorganic vertebration of the Anarchist Federations (which, of course, we are notopposed to) can in no way be considered as a substitute for this function ofcatalyst; at least, it has not yet demonstrated it.On the other hand, and to respond to all those who consider that there is no needfor a structured organization, one need only refer to historical processes andcurrent social phenomena of affinity, through which verifies how ineffectiveanarchism is when it suffers from the absence of an organization capable ofserving as a catalyst.If the structure of anarchosyndicalism no longer fulfills this function, anotherform of structure will have to be created, but the critics have not yet found it.We therefore believe it necessary to maintain the anarchosyndicalist organization.4. Perspectives of anarchosyndicalismAccording to other possible definitions and by giving a non-restrictive scope tothe influences and perspectives that can arise from union organization, one canthink of a trans-structural and extra-union action in opposition to a simple andexclusively structural vision of union action. To demonstrate the incompatibleeffects between the two positions, we will refer to two historical facts (amongmany others):1° on July 19, 1936, when the military uprising occurred in Spain, the CNT wouldhave been incapable of aborting it if it had counted only on its organicstructure; this was possible (particularly in Catalonia) because it had at itsside the popular sectors, not integrated into any structure, but which hadundergone the trans-structural and extra-union action of the CNT for several years;2° from July 21, 1936, the representative bodies 23 of the CNT find themselvessubjected to an infernal rhythm of meetings, Plenarias * and Plenos *, to such anextent that the unions cannot follow this rhythm without serious operationaldifficulties federalism cracked, producing a break between the unions and thefederal and confederal bodies, which weighed heavily on the politicalorientations of the CNT. This triggered an intra-structural action by therepresentative bodies which, without a doubt, facilitated the path towards theparticipation of the CNT in the Government. In this case, which is particularlylimited, an intra-structural phenomenon appears, to which every organizationtends when its representative bodies no longer feel the pressure of those theyrepresent.Today, more than ever, when trade unionism finds itself in an undeniable impasse,it is necessary for the anarchosyndicalist structure to develop atrans-structural, extra-union and always counter-institutional action.A. - Trans-structuralThe fundamental and priority objective of anarchosyndicalist action must be tointervene in the situation of the non-institutionalized sectors (not integratedinto any union structure), which are increasing in number every day (unemployed,new and marginal cooperativism, "wild" conflicts of workers , productionsub-sectors discriminated against by the "submerged economy", etc.).Even if it seems paradoxical, we must avoid playing a protagonist role orientedtowards the integration in anarchosyndicalism of all these sectors andsub-sectors; this must be a free and voluntary option to which we must accedewithout pressure.B. - Extra-unionExtra-union action is a way of intervening in the activity of social, cultural,marginal movements, whose anti-authoritarian sign gives them an anarchizingorientation.To establish with these movements relations of overall, non-structural action, byrefusing the erroneous claim, referred to in Spain in 1976-77, of a "globalistCNT", that is to say a structure in which would find their place, next to theunions, the Athenaeums, the collectives, the groups, the communes, etc.; weconsider inadequate such an integration because it would introduce within theanarchosyndicalist organization an element of de-structuring.What is structural and what is a-structural must enjoy complete autonomy in theirrespective functioning; the "federal pact", in which the anarchosyndicalistorganization develops, is not applicable to the a-structural characteristic inwhich these movements develop; these two forms can only be linked by an "actionpact".C. - Counter-institutionalThe presence and action of anarchosyndicalism are necessary as a constantpressure on the integrated workers' macrosectors, breaking the institutionalizedpatterns in which they evolve. The method of action is intervention duringagitations, demonstrations, strikes, conflicts and negotiations, overflowing the"apparatus" and institutionalized union bodies.Any claim to introduce qualitative initiatives into the institutional framework,by agreeing to participate in its mechanisms, is pure illusion. The onlyqualitative initiative is to break this framework. To the institutional workscouncil, we must oppose the "company delegates", we must oppose therepresentatives mandated by the workers' assembly.The assemblies of workers (in the enterprise or in the industrial sector) can, itis true, on certain occasions take decisions in contradiction with the generalagreements of the anarchosyndicalist organization, but appealing to the assemblydoes not is not only a one-time act but also a constant process of regulation andrectification of relations between workers; despite the contradictions that canarise in these situations, anarchosyndicalism can participate with better andwider possibilities within the institutional framework.* Forms of representative general meetings and characteristics of the mode ofoperation of the CNT (note from the trans.)https://liberteouvriere.com/2022/12/19/syndicalisme-revolutionnaire-par-luis-andes-edo-espagne-1984/_________________________________________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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