Forward Union
21st October 2010, 00:38
The founding statement of NSSN (http://www.shopstewards.net/) Syndicalist Faction
The labour movement in the UK is currently weak and in decline. The average age of a trade union steward increases with each passing year. Most workplaces are under-represented with too few over-worked stewards bogged down by casework and the ineffective theory of the ‘servicing’ model. We believe to rebuild our power we must focus on strengthening sustained organisation in workplaces.
We propose that the National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) can help to do this by providing new stewards with concrete advice, inspiration and support, to build branches which have an involved membership who are ready to fight. Members who are engaged with the union are the stewards of the future.
Stewards already involved in the Network must be linked together on a regional/local basis for concrete analysis and strategy discussion of their situation in both workplace and union. It is these activists who are central to the development of the NSSN. We propose a detailed audit of existing NSSN activists so that this project can be carried out on the basis of knowing what strengths we already have.
It is shop stewards who are crucial, and not union executive members or parliamentary elected representatives. Shop stewards and other workplace reps are elected by our workmates and this demonstrates accountability and legitimacy. Being close to the ground and a part of the battles we fight means that our interests are clear.
Syndicalists are opposed to the cynical use of the NSSN as a vehicle for sectarian aims. Talk about rebuilding the Labour Party Left or building alternative parties is a diversion – it won’t happen quickly, if at all, and it ignores the fact that militant trade union activity is a political power in and of itself. We believe that these distractions will only slow us down in reaching our goals of a strong working class able to defend itself and make significant gains. NSSN is a broad-based organisation of class struggle and narrow political agendas must not be allowed to sap energy or hamper progress in the struggle.
We also pledge to support stewards and branches if unelected union officials with a conflicting agenda should interfere with their activities, and obstruct the will of the organised membership.
Although demonstrations are a good expression of workers’ organised strength, and a vital part of individual industrial struggles, they should not be priority activity for NSSN. This is partly because unions, union branches and other networks and groups already organise protests. It is not effective use of our limited and precious time to recreate work that is already done. Our natural role in connection to demonstrations is to support and promote them. However our focus must always be on how to help stewards to better organise, within our workplaces and across our industries.
We want to see horizontal communications between stewards improved across NSSN, and also believe that good and accessible external communications are important for us to reach out to new and inexperienced stewards, or potential stewards, with the tools to develop proven organising skills. This will need NSSN to build its resources and finances.
We have an important job to do in educating the current generation about the true role of the shop steward and their potential to lead fights and instigate change. Morale is in a depression across the majority of society and we must widely and effectively publicise working class victories past and present, to illustrate the struggle, and create hope and the desire to win.
http://www.thesyndicalist.org.uk/
The labour movement in the UK is currently weak and in decline. The average age of a trade union steward increases with each passing year. Most workplaces are under-represented with too few over-worked stewards bogged down by casework and the ineffective theory of the ‘servicing’ model. We believe to rebuild our power we must focus on strengthening sustained organisation in workplaces.
We propose that the National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) can help to do this by providing new stewards with concrete advice, inspiration and support, to build branches which have an involved membership who are ready to fight. Members who are engaged with the union are the stewards of the future.
Stewards already involved in the Network must be linked together on a regional/local basis for concrete analysis and strategy discussion of their situation in both workplace and union. It is these activists who are central to the development of the NSSN. We propose a detailed audit of existing NSSN activists so that this project can be carried out on the basis of knowing what strengths we already have.
It is shop stewards who are crucial, and not union executive members or parliamentary elected representatives. Shop stewards and other workplace reps are elected by our workmates and this demonstrates accountability and legitimacy. Being close to the ground and a part of the battles we fight means that our interests are clear.
Syndicalists are opposed to the cynical use of the NSSN as a vehicle for sectarian aims. Talk about rebuilding the Labour Party Left or building alternative parties is a diversion – it won’t happen quickly, if at all, and it ignores the fact that militant trade union activity is a political power in and of itself. We believe that these distractions will only slow us down in reaching our goals of a strong working class able to defend itself and make significant gains. NSSN is a broad-based organisation of class struggle and narrow political agendas must not be allowed to sap energy or hamper progress in the struggle.
We also pledge to support stewards and branches if unelected union officials with a conflicting agenda should interfere with their activities, and obstruct the will of the organised membership.
Although demonstrations are a good expression of workers’ organised strength, and a vital part of individual industrial struggles, they should not be priority activity for NSSN. This is partly because unions, union branches and other networks and groups already organise protests. It is not effective use of our limited and precious time to recreate work that is already done. Our natural role in connection to demonstrations is to support and promote them. However our focus must always be on how to help stewards to better organise, within our workplaces and across our industries.
We want to see horizontal communications between stewards improved across NSSN, and also believe that good and accessible external communications are important for us to reach out to new and inexperienced stewards, or potential stewards, with the tools to develop proven organising skills. This will need NSSN to build its resources and finances.
We have an important job to do in educating the current generation about the true role of the shop steward and their potential to lead fights and instigate change. Morale is in a depression across the majority of society and we must widely and effectively publicise working class victories past and present, to illustrate the struggle, and create hope and the desire to win.
http://www.thesyndicalist.org.uk/