A proposal to rebuild the IWW, or an anarcho-syndicalist union in Australia

[Bilan]

I posted this on another forum (https://bull.anarchy.org.au/index.php), but I thought I'd post it here too to see what people thought.

A proposal to rebuild the IWW, or an anarcho-syndicalist union in Australia

For a little while here, I was a member of the IWW in Sydney.
The IWW here is disturbingly small, with a membership barely exceeding 4 or 5, if at all.
From brief dicussions with anarchists here on why no one was a member of the IWW, the most I could get was that "it was small and did nothing".

Apart from being defeatist, and ironic (since when do anarchists need people to act for us?), its majorly problematic.
Industrial Unions play an important role in the revolutionary movement; indeed, unions are an organ and voice of the working class, and a revolutionary industrial union has the potential, specially in the conditions in which the Australian working class finds itself in at present - what with the bureaucracy of the trade unions, with few exceptions, and the capitalist form the unions have taken (Which is obviously of no surprise) - to strengthen and build the movement, and continually spread anarchist ideas, and work towards revolution.

Indeed, it contains as much possibility for spreading anarchism as the federation does.

Not only that, but it has the ability to show how anarchism can work practically in a pre-revolutionary stage to defend the working class, and make gains against the bosses and government.

The proposal I am making here is for the rebuiling of the IWW in Australia - that anarchists join, and spread the union, for the purposes of solidarity and struggle - or the creation of an anarcho-syndicalist union in Australia.

I am interested in responses by anarchists here on the possibilities of this, or on the idea itself.

Solidarity

[The Douche]

You know that the IWW is not explicitly anarchist? And they try to distance themselves from "anarchism" and "anarcho-syndicalism". (*they try to distance themselves from these words)

In my experience there are activists involved in the IWW who are anarchists or traditional syndicalists, and then there are workers who organize with the IWW, the two groups rarely overlap.

[Bilan]

You know that the IWW is not explicitly anarchist? And they try to distance themselves from "anarchism" and "anarcho-syndicalism". (*they try to distance themselves from these words)


I am aware of this.



In my experience there are activists involved in the IWW who are anarchists or traditional syndicalists, and then there are workers who organize with the IWW, the two groups rarely overlap.

Indeed, and in Australia, its' neither. As I stated, the IWW's membership is minuscule.
The IWW is a vehicle of revolutionary unionism, and can be, of anarcho-syndicalism.

But in the case in which it isn't necessarily, the formation of an anarcho-syndicalist union is another option.

[The Douche]

I honestly think that unions are dead in the water when it comes to revolution. Most unions flat out aren't revolutionary, the only people who still have hope for them are a few trots.

Yeah, there are "revolutionary unions" like the IWW and the CNT (I'm sure there are others) but those, in my experience (which is with the IWW) hardly act in a revolutionary manner, and they are revolutionary in only theory not practice. As I was saying in the previous post, it is only the minority of the IWW that is actually revolutionary.

The IWW is also very small in the US, I think they have maybe a dozen shops that are organized through them. And the bulk of the people who join the IWW and use it to actually organize do not do so because it is/they are revolutionary they do it because it is democratic. Having spoken briefly to somebody who worked in an IWW shop he told me could'nt care less about all the anti-capitalism stuff, and he thought it was a "cool idea but probably just a waste of time", the only reason he liked the IWW and supported choosing it as thier union was because it didn't have the bullshit beauracracy of the other unions he had dealt with.

If you want an anarcho-syndicalist union I would say to stay away from the IWW. Really, its nothing more than a historical society, and when it does get to function as a union, it does so as a traditional yellow union, not a red one.

[Comrade Rage]

First off, the IWW isn't explicitly anarchist, although many of my fellow members there are.

And the bulk of the people who join the IWW and use it to actually organize do not do so because it is/they are revolutionary they do it because it is democratic.Do you know anyone else in the IWW? EVERYONE at my General Membership Branch is anti-capitalist.

[Bilan]

I am aware of the fact that it is not explicitly anarchist, as I stated.

[The Douche]

First off, the IWW isn't explicitly anarchist, although many of my fellow members there are.
Do you know anyone else in the IWW? EVERYONE at my General Membership Branch is anti-capitalist.

Ok so your GMB is radical, now, what sectors are represented in your GMB? What is the ratio of students to workers? Does your GMB have any IWW shops within it?

My comment is in reference to people who actually create IWW shops.

I have met a lot of people in the IWW, thank you very much.

[SpikeyRed]

I just want to comment on what I think is a crucial point that Proper Tea has touched on, because I think it is a problem within the broader revolutionary left, and that is, an orientation towards the working class.

The working class is the class within capitalist society with the power to change it, because when workers stop working, society stops working, and Capitalists can't sustain themselves. While this may seem a really obvious thing to say, alot of so-called Revo's tend not to have this as their central idea. The fact of the matter is, revolution is the self-emanicpation of the masses in society, and can only be led by an organised working class. If you don't believe that, or some variant of that (because I know people here LOVE to debate on semantics), then you probably shouldn't even bother with this thread.

Cmoney, I happen to be 'a trot', and I acknowledge that, within Australia, and alot of the rest of the world, the union bureaucracies are acting as a hand-brake on the movement, and, as a tool of the bosses. But I think the idea of Unionism is very important, because at the end of the day, the working class needs to be organized to carry out successful revolution. If you think "unions are dead in the water", then please, enlighten us as to your fundamentally different approach to the self-organization of the working class? If you don't have one, that organises the working class on an industrial level, then I suggest you re-think your position on Union's.

At the end of the day, all revolutions, weather it be Russia 1917, Spain or Portugal, whatever, the working class needed to be organized to carry it out, and successful Revolution will not be achieved, without successful organization.

Solidarity Comrades

[Comrade Rage]

Ok so your GMB is radical, now, what sectors are represented in your GMB?Some students, drivers, university workers, and retail workers.


What is the ratio of students to workers?
There are two students.

Does your GMB have any IWW shops within it?I don't think we have any, no.


My comment is in reference to people who actually create IWW shops.You sounded like you were talking about the rank-and-file.


I have met a lot of people in the IWW, thank you very much.Well, they must be pleased at you slandering the Union as being a 'historical society' then.;)

[InTheMatterOfBoots]

There were some moves a while back to form an Australian Anarchist Federation. I can send you details if you want.
My understanding was that the Aussies had quite a healthy IWW. Is this not the case? There is a FW coming over to England who I am in contact with (she will be joining my local) and she seemed to be on the ball.

[The Feral Underclass]

There were some moves a while back to form an Australian Anarchist Federation. I can send you details if you want.
My understanding was that the Aussies had quite a healthy IWW. Is this not the case? There is a FW coming over to England who I am in contact with (she will be joining my local) and she seemed to be on the ball.

There are several members here who are involved in this Australian AF initiative. Notably Black Dagger and Proper Tea is Theft.

[Comrade Krell]

The 'anarcho-syndicalist' and 'anarchist' labels are the problem, that is a big turn-off and personally I will never have anything to do with those unwashed lumpenprole cretins. The Australian workers deserve 'one big union' because the ACTU is a completely class collaborationist bourgeois organization which opposes pickets and many other methods of class struggle.

The reason that union membership is so low in Australia is because the ACTU affiliated unions are bureaucratic, corrupt and do not represent the working class, they might occasionally make populist rhetorical appeals, but they are reactionary to the core. As such the grassroots 'link' between them and the community does not exist.

[KC]

As I stated, the IWW's membership is minuscule.

This should be expected from a "revolutionary union". I don't much see the point in starting or joining such a union myself, as it's just isolating the more revolutionary elements of the working class from the masses. In times of crisis the working class turns to their unions; when their bureaucracy is found to side with the capitalists over the workers, the fight must be to remove those from leadership. Groups like the IWW seem to me to just be running from that problem, and serve to weaken the working class movement rather than strengthen it.