Today's Topics:
1. France, Alternative Libertaire AL n° special - SNCF: The
duplicity ... and lack of boldness (fr, it, pt) [machine
translation] (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
2. US, Call For Antifascists At Trump’s Fundraiser
(a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
3. solfed.org.uk: Don't work for free. Say no to unpaid
trials!! (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
4. US, WSA, ideasandaction: Leninist Vanguardism vs.
Libertarian Left Militant Minority Organization (a-infos-en@ainfos.ca)
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Message: 1
While the movement against the rising labor law throughout the country, the CGT-Railwaymen
did everything to sabotage the departure ended strike. And, unfortunately, too few have
tried overflow. ---- Before the start SNCF strike on 18 May, the number of railway and
railway workers already had nearly 10 days of strike action since March. The fight against
the labor law partly explains, but it is also the result of tactics very questionable:
while locally union teams and general assemblies grew to a call for renewal by March 31,
s' based on the high number of strikers, no federation has relayed, preferring to continue
24 hours in rehearsal. ---- The scenario was repeated in late April, and worse: the CGT
has imposed a square strike at the SNCF April 26, while the inter inter called for weeks
at 28! Favoring alliance with UNSA and CFDT, CGT-Railwaymen refused to make the connection
between 26 and 28. SUD-Rail and FO have also rallied to 26.
In May, the CGT-Railwaymen innovated in its undermining by limiting its use of 48-hour
strikes, 18-19 and 25-26, refusing to recognize the AG strikers. Under the pressure of
part of the base, but also teams SUD-Rail and FO, CGT-Railwaymen finally decided to call
an indefinite strike from 31 May evening. Alas, the unitary call CGT-CFDT-UNSA-SOUTH-FO,
did not last long. The CFDT has broken from day one, Unsa the next day. All that for this
! It was well worth caressing UNSA and CFDT in the grain for two months, instead of
supporting loans railwaymen to fight. Detaching the fight SNCF to the fight against the
Labour Law also detracted.
The strike lasted two weeks, not without difficulty. By the third day, the CGT-Railwaymen
went alone to the ministry and SNCF management to negotiate, outside of any mandate of
general meetings, ignoring the unity of land with FO and SUD-Rail. After one week she no
longer called to renew the movement, which still took several days before dying.
Would have had more core teams "dare"
The unity of struggle of trade unionists at the base, the AG, strike committees or
mobilization created several sites, the link with the movement against the Labour Act,
allowed the strike to exist and last. It was not enough to win. Probably would have been
necessary that more core teams, but CGT SUD-Rail, "dare" to override the instructions or
absence of federal decisions to start the movement earlier, before he lost his strength.
Local unions CGT and SUD-Rail signed in March of the call "It blocks all! "Would become
more effective if they were coordinated.
We also pay back, uneven between regions, in terms of workers' democracy,
self-organization of struggles. Hold meetings is one thing; it is another to hold AG where
everyone feels free to speak and becomes fully actor and actress of "his" strike.
UNSA and CFDT have signed agreements with the employers of the railway. The CGT decided
not to oppose it. Sad end: if the organization had exercised its right to object as did
SUD-Rail and FO, texts against which the strikers, including many union CGT, have
struggled for months would lapse and we could all act together to impose the resumption of
negotiations on other bases. Following the decision of the CGT that are the
Patronage-Unsa-CFDT agreements that will apply!
The Rail unleashed
www.leraildechaine.org
http://www.alternativelibertaire.org/?SNCF-La-duplicite-et-le-manque-d
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Message: 2
Donald Trump thinks he will be having a fundraising event in Minneapolis on Friday, Aug.
19th. (The time and location are unknown at this time.) We think Trump and his supporters
should get a rude awakening when they rear their fascist heads in Minnesota. ---- We are
calling everyone who wants to stop the rise of fascism to come out and show Trump and his
supporters that their racist, patriarchal, and all-around oppressive-as-fuck agenda will
meet resistance and disruption wherever they go. We would like to invite people to engage
in creative actions to show Trump that his politics and agenda will not find fertile
ground in our communities. ---- Over the last number of months, the radical right has
become emboldened by the rise of Trump and the success of his bid for the Republican
nomination. As the Republican Party has moved even farther right with Trump and as the
mainstream political discourse has shifted with it, the far right has become more public,
vocal, and violent. Small racist gatherings around the country have been met with dozens
or hundreds of counterprotesters, and some of those counterprotesters have been violently
attacked–including being stabbed with a flagpole in Anaheim and with a knife in Sacramento.
Here at home, a white supremacist shot 5 people outside of the Fourth Precinct in North
Minneapolis near the encampment set up to demand justice for Jamar Clark.
The violent fascism of the far right has hit close to home, and now they’re making yet
another attempt to gain ground in our home. Join us on the 19th to show them that they
have no ground to stand on here or anywhere!
We want to stress a few fundamental points about safety when engaging in struggle.
1) Due to the radical right’s willingness to shed blood, we urge everyone to have a buddy
or crew at the protest to help keep each other safe.
2) We respect a diversity of tactics and an awareness of how everyone’s actions/inactions
affect others in the streets.
3) We reject any public denunciations of other groups or individuals, as sowing distrust
only serves to strengthen our enemies and does the work of the State.
Many people will come out to reject Trump and everything he stands for, and we will not
all agree on our political analyses, preferences for tactics, etc. Yet we call on everyone
to come out and focus their rage on the enemy at hand: Trump and his kind.
Love and rage,
some anarchists in Mpls
https://conflictmn.blackblogs.org/call-for-antifascists-at-trumps-fundraiser/
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Message: 3
Some workplaces in Brighton, including hospitality companies like pubs, restaurants and
hotels, to hospitals, care agencies and the building trade, employers ask potential
employees to come and work a 'trial shift' to see if they are up to the job. ----
Sometimes this trial can last a couple hours, sometimes twelve, but all too often the
trials can last a few days. Some companies are taking advantage of this and are covering
exceptional workload issues with workers doing unpaid trials. To put it clearly and
succinctly: working for free. ---- Bosses know that there is no law on the issue but they
always try to reduce their costs: so they will try to avoid paying your holidays, some
wages, notice pay or even a few hours from your first days. Probably you are just owed a
few tens pounds. So, probably you think it is not worth it.
However, you will need those few pounds much more than the company. Plus, most important
of all, this is not just about you. If you accept all of this, you are making it harder
for the next worker to have better conditions at work. If you accept these unpaid trials,
give up your holiday pay and do not say anything when your boss pays you under the minimum
wage, when you leave your workplace, your boss will look for another compliant worker like
you. So finally, we will all be working for free.
So, next time your boss ask you for a trial:
- Ask them how long it is going to be.
- Remind them that they have to pay you if you are going to work for them.
- If they do not want to pay you for working, just explain to them that you are only
required to work shadowing another employee. This means that you carry out no work and you
are only observing.
If you have already carried out an unfair free trail shift in your workplace start
organising! Collectivise this grievance with your workmates, and demand you are paid what
is yours and stop any exploitation.
http://www.solfed.org.uk/brighton/dont-work-for-free-say-no-to-unpaid-trials
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Message: 4
It is not uncommon for class struggle libertarians to hear Leninists equate vanguardism
with a libertarian militant minority group, such as the Friends of Durruti in libertarian
Spain, yet suggest that the libertarian role is simply lacking in strategy. This shows a
poor understanding of the militant libertarian alternative to Leninist vanguardism and why
we see it as far more desirable and superior. The phrase “militant minority” was created
by anarchosyndicalists to refer to working class people who are class conscious and have
an informal influence within their workplaces and unions due to being hard-working or
being good at public speaking, being politically knowledgeable, etc. Anarchosyndicalists
have also used the term “vanguard” to refer to an active, organized and
politically-motivated militant minority.
This differs greatly from the meaning of the word “vanguard” historically used by Leninist
movements. Their definition of this word derives from democratic centralism; a way of
organizing where an organization’s power and control is completely centered in “strong”
leaders who exercise a top-down management over the organization. Thus, the Leninist idea
of the role of the vanguard is that they should strive to develop this kind of leadership
control in popular workers organizations (such as unions or workers councils), and in a
political organization; the workers party. This is connected with the Leninist theory that
a key element of revolution is control of society by a vanguard party who has mastered
Marxist theory and thus can assure the “correct” direction for the society, through their
top down control over the state.
In traditional Leninism the vanguard is an intermediate layer of militant anti-capitalist
workers who are beyond the social democratic cadre who the workers party leadership wish
to build a party with. They wish to build a workers party so that the party and vanguard
can use their control over workers movements to gain state power and implement their
program from the top down via the state. Lenin said, “Marxism teaches us that only the
political party of the working class, i.e. the Communist Party, is in a position to unite,
educate, organize…and direct all sides of the proletarian movement and hence all the
working masses. Without this the dictatorship of the proletariat is meaningless”.
In practice the Leninist vanguard takes orders and demands from the party leadership and
enforces them on the working class. This results in the inability of the working class
majority to have any direct control over the movement whatsoever, due in part to the
inherent strict division of labor which Lenin thought to be necessary. As Lenin said, “A
well-organised secret apparatus requires professionally well-trained revolutionaries and a
division of labour applied with the greatest consistency…”
While left libertarians and anarchosyndicalists recognize the fact that there are
minorities of workers who are more active and have more influence (a militant minority),
they do not propose that they should strive to achieve a top-down power over popular
workers organizations or popular workers movements through democratic centralism. They see
this as inconsistent with workers self-management of their own movements and struggles,
and the goal of socialism itself. As a result, some anarchosyndicalists believe that there
needs to be systematic efforts to develop active participation and leadership skills in as
many working class people as feasible, to ensure their ability to play an effective role
in their own liberation. But this is connected with the anarchosyndicalist view that it is
the mass organizations of the working class that are to gain power in a revolution, not
the vanguard organization.
Anarchosyndicalists do not believe that the Leninist vanguard idea, which presupposes
democratic centralism, can ever lead to anything remotely resembling a positive
alternative to capitalism (socialism). And historically, what we have seen from Leninist
movements is a new class emerging which dominates and controls the working class, leading
to austerity and backlash from popular worker organizations. It’s perfectly fine to
develop minority organizations of working class militants, but for a successful revolution
those organizations can’t strip power away from popular worker organizations and
centralize it within themselves. Power must ultimately be balanced between these
organizations and popular workers movements in order to overthrow capitalism and replace
it with a positive alternative.
http://ideasandaction.info/2016/08/leninist-vanguardism-vs-libertarian-left-militant-minority-organization/
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