Sydney, Australia Paper of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Network 50c Vol. 32 No.1 (216) Mar.-April 2013

EGYPTIAN TAKES NEW TURN TOWARD SELF-MANAGEMENT & WORKERS’ CONTROL!

JOCK PALFREEMAN; GOLDEN DAWN IN MELBOURNE; NSW RAILWAY NEWS; NEWCASTLE RAIL LINE; STATE TRANSIT NEWSFLASH; VICTORIAN RAILWAY NEWS; WORKERS’ CONTROL IN GREECE; BRITAIN TODAY; EGYPT;IRELAND TODAY; ITALIAN REBEL UNIONISM; BOOK REVIEW CORNER; NEWS & NOTES 2 Rebel Worker

sion. After losing 20 kilos in weight he GOLDEN DAWN & Rebel Worker is the bi-monthly ended his hunger strike and will continue Paper of the A.S.N. for the propo- his protest by legal ways. Jock is very AUSTRALIA gation of anarcho- in thankful for the support he received. But Dear Friends, Australia. the issue of being able to continue his stud- ies is not resolved, so it is still useful for We are a small initiative of a few anarchist Unless otherwise stated, signed friends and supporters to write letters to antifascists who live in Melbourne, Aus- Articles do not necessarily represent the Ministery of Justice in Bulgaria. The tralia. the position of the A.S.N. as a whole. fight continues! Please keep writing letters We forward this text and petition for urg- Any contributions, criticisms, letters of complaint to: ing Brendan O’Connor, Australia’s Immi- or Ministry of Justice Diana Kovacheva No. gration Minister to act immediately for Comments are welcome. 1, Slavanska Street Sofia 1040 Bulgaria banning the fascists of Golden Dawn en- REBEL WORKER A week of solidarity action for Jock is be- tering the country and help opening an of- P.O. BOX 92 ing planned for April, more information fice in Melbourne. will be available soon... BROADWAY 2007 NSW The link is this For other ways to support Jock: https://www.change.org/en-AU/peti- E-mail: Write letters of support to: *Jock tions/brendan-o-connor-minister-for-im [email protected] Palfreeman *Sofia Central Prison 21 Gen- migration-and-citizenship-refuse-visas-to SUBSCRIPTION RATES: eral Stoletov Boulevard Sofia 1309 Bul- -golden-dawn-members-coming-to-austr AUSTRALIA: $12 a year garia alia?utm_campaign=share_button_ac- tion_box&utm_me- OVERSEAS Check out these websites for more infor- dium=facebook&utm_source=share_peti mation about his case: $25 (Aus.) by Air tion# http://www.freejock.com/ $20 (Aus.) by Sea mail Our initiative is organising other events as Free to Prisoners http://www.jockpalfreeman.com/ ttp://www.freejock.com/ well for which we will talk when we have Supporters Subs. $40 pa news about them. Join the ‘Freedom For Jock Receives copies of RW & ASN Palfreeman’page on Facebook for regular At the moment we circulate this petition Pamphlets as published. news and updates: and we ask you to forward in your respec- Send to the above. Postal notes only http://www.facebook.com/groups/12358 tive networks and wherever you can. made out to Rebel Worker. 6691003205/ Thanks. Sign this petition to the Bulgarian Ministry In solidarity of Justice: To Approve Jock Palfreeman’s Greek-Australian anarchist antifascists in Prison Transfer to Australia Melbourne Solidarity News http://www.change.org/peti- tions/the-bulgarian-ministry-of-justice-ap prove-jock-palfreeman-s-prison-transfer- to-australia Website of Bulgarian Prisoners Associa- Anti-fascist Prisoner Jock t i o n : Palfreeman Ends His Hunger http://bulgarianprisonersassociation.word Strike. But Still Needs Your press.com/category/english/ Support

Australian Anti-fascist prisoner Jock REQUEST FOR SUPPORT AND ACTION IN SOLIDARITY Palfreeman, serving 20 years in So- WITH WORKERS OF IBERIA AIRLINES fia/Bulgaria for defending two Roma The Spanish airline Iberia is laying off 3,807 workers and cutting the boys from a racist mob, was on hunger strike from the 13th January 2013. The wages of their remaining workers between 20% to 40%. Days off and Director of the Central Sofia Prison had vacations will be significantly reduced amongst other rights as well. This ordered another punishment measure will allow Iberia workers to be sold very cheap in the near future. because of Jocks activist work as chair- This is the reason why we are on strike for 10 days (we already struck for man of the Bulgarian Prisoners Associa- 5 days in February). The CNT (National Confederation of Labour – tion. Due to this punishment Jock is now not allowed to finish his studies which is Anarcho-Syndicalist union) committee calls for all possible measures to very important to him. After 30 days put Iberia under pressure: leaflets, graffiti, pickets, sits-in. They shall Jock ended his hunger strike because he take place wherever Iberia is present: airports, offices in the cities... We got an answer from the Bulgarian au- aim to combine all our forces internationally to stop the plans for disman- thorities. The prison administration re- tling the airline. sponsible for his case answered that he can only study in a Bulgarian Univer- We would appreciate it, if you sent us pictures and videos of your ac- sity, and not in a foreign one. But, if he tions. Thank you very much in advance. All our best wishes. CNT com- wants to study in a Bulgarian Unviersity mittee in Iberia he cannot do this from prison, so he is More information: http://iberia.cnt.es/secciones-sindicales/ibe- not permitted to continue his studies. ria/111-que-esta-pasando-en-iberia http://iberia.cnt.es/ This ‘official’ answer means that he can now apply in the courts against the deci- 3 Rebel Worker N.S.W. RAILWAYS NEWS

all impact on the health of, not just, rail born immigrants will have more fat than Management and Union workers, but the general community. Rail say a Somali simply because genetically Leadership Manufacturing a workers would be expected to have a they have adapted to different environ- Health Crisis healthier prognosis than the general popu- ments. lation though. “A further limitation of BMI relates to loss * They would freely give us our allotted of height through aging. In this situation, By Crimson Coconut leisure time without having to jump BMI will increase without any corre- There is an the outbreak of “Health Care through bureaucratic hoops just to get sponding increase in weight.” Sourced at Initiatives” from Transport for N.S.W. and leave. Why is it that we have lie or give Wikipedia the State Government. Programs such as some reason for taking our own leave That means BMI Testing discriminates the regular health checks, BMI checks, (such as long service leave) when it is due? against aged employees. Quit Smoking campaigns, Drug and Alco- Why is it up to our level 4 manager to de- Now new research is discarding BMI hol Testing (urine and blood sampling), cide when we take leave? Why is it more Union and Government sponsored Health Testing as unscientific and outdated. Ac- difficult to get holiday roster swaps cording to a “study published by JAMA in Fairs, various workplace lectures on diet than before because we have to provide a 2005 showed that overweight people had and exercise etc are all targeting workers written reason for the in the health firing line. swap? Why is leave When is our employer impinging on our cancelled during spe- freedom to do what we like outside of cial holiday periods work hours or to pursue the lifestyle and special events de- (whether it is right or wrong) that we de- priving employees sire? Where do we draw the line? from enjoying the ben- If management were truly serious about efits of social festivals our health and fitness they would give us: and events that every- * Subsidised staff canteens that serves up one else takes for healthy food rather than the junk food that granted? is available in the private businesses sur- * Stop treating injured rounding railways. workers like pariahs * They would stop rostering people around rather than as valued the clock inducing fatigue and fatigue re- employees -a com- lated diseases such as obesity and heart modity that loses value disease. It is no accident, for instance, that the longer it is injured. those that work around the clock The onus and proof of shift-work, whether that be station staff, good health has been drivers, guards, signallers etc are the most put back onto us, the overweight. There is ample evidence to employees. We are the the link between shift work and obesity. ones responsible for The endocrinology and biological chemi- not getting sick, when cal evidence is there for anyone to see. So they are the cause of ill who’s fault is it that employees are over- health in most cases. a similar relative risk of mortality to nor- weight? What control do you have over Very few workplaces are as rigorously mal weight people as defined by BMI, your roster, eating habits or sleep pat- health tested as RailCorp. while underweight and obese people had a terns? The latest craze, BMI (Body Mass Index) higher death rate.[25] High BMI is associ- * They would provide sporting facilities testing is at the extreme edge of employee ated with type 2 diabetes only in persons (subsidised or not) close to work depots. health testing. There is no science in it at with high serum gamma-glutamyl * They would provide a stress free envi- all. Put simply the BM Index is a mathe- transpeptidase.[26]” ronment in which members were re- matical calculation of a person’s mass in “In an analysis of 40 studies involving spected instead of harassed with a “please Kilograms divided by their height 250,000 people, patients with coronary explain-request for information” every squared. BMI =MASS IN KG ÷ HEIGHT artery disease with normal BMIs were at time a passenger makes a complaint. IN METRES². higher risk of death from cardiovascular * They would provide an equal opportu- It is a purely mathematical calculation. disease than people whose BMIs put them nity workplace environment free of dis- Using this technique many of our Olympic in the overweight range (BMI crimination and recrimination where athletes would be placed in the “Obese” 25–29.9).[27] In the overweight, or inter- “who you know” counts more that individ- category by scoring a BMI of 30 or more. mediate, range of BMI (25–29.9), the ual ability. In some senses BMI testing is discrimina- study found that BMI failed to discrimi- tory as it takes no account of genetic fac- nate between body fat percentage and lean * They would realise that society as a mass. The study concluded that “the accu- whole has changed. From the way our tors such as ethnicity or family predisposition. Theoretically Russian racy of BMI in diagnosing obesity is lim- communities and work are designed to the ited, particularly for individuals in the way the food industry raises, produces and intermediate BMI ranges, in men and in serves food, to the way we have less and less control over our everyday lives. These 4 Rebel Worker the elderly. These results may help to ex- So which one is it Alex? Is there wide- sponsibility with employees. Employee’s plain the unexpected better survival in spread support OR are members con- in reality have very little control over the overweight/mild obese patients.”[20]” cerned? Can’t seem to make up your work processes, the equipment that is pur- Sourced at Wikipedia mind? Maybe you need some psychologi- chased, reliability or the human factors BMI Testing should be recognised for cal testing? which interact within the organisation. what it is. It is a mathematical and statisti- RailCorp is shirking it’s responsibility for Maybe it is time to heap criticism where cal tool for the general population which, safety by fairly and squarely placing re- criticism is due rather than clutching at when applied to individual cases, will give sponsibility on employees. At the same straws and blaming workers for every- a statistical error that discriminates time they have failed to introduce new en- thing that happens. The Union’s Leader- against the individuals concerned. gineering safety equipment or work meth- ship, who’s job it is to look after members The RTBU leadership has gone along with ods into the network as quickly as they interests, should know better. If they were this bogus charade of health reforms might have. That is another issue however more in tune with the needs of their mem- agreeing to a national health stan- bers then maybe this could not have hap- dard for rail operators without re- pened. course to reason and without As our workplace freedoms (even out- consulting members. NSW RTBU side of work) are slowly removed it is Branch Secretary, Claassens is con- time to draw a line in the sand and say fused as he normally is. “NO MORE”. The Union Leadership The Daily Telegraph reports: should force management into a position of conceding that their policies are con- “Rail Tram Bus Union NSW branch tributing to the bad health of employees. secretary Alex Claassens said there To do this they must meet and campaign used to be a joke that you weren’t a alongside affected employees and in- real train driver “unless you had an volve them in the decision making pro- overhang” but attitudes had now cess. changed. This is unlikely to happen unless we “There’s broad support for these buck the trend and refuse to take part in changes,” he said. this absurd circus. “The level of obesity is increasing The union leadership is strung up on the and the fact is this is a sedentary job fact that they have given tacit approval and people are not exercising as for this to go ahead, despite them not much as they were before.” Only a seeking the approval of their members. handful of drivers would be affected by the changes, he said.” Also the fingerprinting of employees signing on and off for duty is one move Yet in a bulletin to members: too many by the bosses. We must also Claassens .....“said rail workers resist this move NOW while it is being were concerned about how the new introduced. Boycott any moves to take measures, which include very spe- fingerprints in your workplace. This is cific weight and BMI criteria, would the equivalent to taking your DNA. It is be applied.” which cannot be discussed here. The union totally unnecessary. “More rigorous health assessments must leadership could have nailed RailCorp If we stick together and stop these ridicu- be matched by the introduction of health over the issues of safety but have instead lous assaults on our rights, such as finger- and wellness programs to ensure Cate- taken the easy route by siding with them. print scanning and extreme health gory 1 rail safety workers, including driv- Don’t get me wrong. We are for safe and assessments that deny the reality of work- ers and signallers, can meet the tough new secure public transport that ensures the ing life we can draw a line in the sand and requirements.” safety of passengers, but the approach halt the erosion of out greater rights at taken about safety by the Union Leader- work that lead to a fairer and happier ship and Management leaves almost all re- workplace.

stations (Civic and Newcastle). Despite being on a tough wicket, we are deter- SAVE NEWCASTLE RAIL LINE mined to make sure they don’t get away with it. Despite repeatedly bringing our plight to Dear friends, backgrounds but are not aligned to any the attention of the Sydney media we have This is an appeal for support from Save particular party. The Rail Tram and Bus received no coverage. We want to break Our Rail up in Newcastle. We really need Union (RTBU) is also supporting the cam- through that wall of silence and make our your help for a moment. paign as it affects many of their members. voice heard. We don’t believe that the gov- You may have heard of us. Save Our Rail The situation ernment would get away with a plan like is a community organisation The O’Farrell government released its this in the Sydney metro area and we think which has fought off successive attempts Newcastle urban renewal strategy docu- that if a critical mass of people in Sydney to cut the last few kilometres of the New- ment in December last year and an- hear about the government’s plans (and castle rail line over the last 20 years or so. nounced they are once again trying to cut our campaign to thwart them!) it will help We have members from various political the line at Wickham, removing the last two us put enough pressure on the government to force them to back down. We think putting the blowtorch on the government over this issue feeds into the 5 Rebel Worker broader community campaign to discredit -There has been no proposal (from either could be done without cutting the line. them and fight back against their bad plan- the current Liberal government nor the Moreover the report says that all of these ning laws and their attacks on the public prior ALP regime) as to how passengers pretty projects are to be paid for by New- sector and the environment. will be expediently shifted from trains to castle council - not the NSW government. Why are we campaigning to save the rail? buses. There are no costing for purchasing It is claimed that the rail is underutilised In a nutshell: and staffing extra buses nor for the major and acts as a barrier. We say if it is roadwork that will likely be required to underutilised then we should be improv- -It is a cardinal rule of transport planning deal with new bottlenecks created as exist- that you do not make people change from ing the service and marketing it better, not ing vehicular crossings are closed in lieu cutting it. And if it is a barrier we should one mode of transport to another (eg from of changed rail movements. rail to bus) unless it is absolutely necessary and unavoidable. Countless examples show that the delay and inconvenience created by making people change over causes them to abandon the service. Most recently in Adelaide the replacement of the Tonsley rail service with buses has seen a 95% reduction in patronage. -The Government has committed to cut- ting the line but has not allocated sufficient funding to do so. To follow through with their plan will likely end up costing $350-500million+ whereas they have allo- cated only $110million. This $350-500m+ figure is based on costing for Wickham Truncation released in 2010 by consul- tancy firm AECOM; this study, commis- sioned by the previous ALP government, is the most up to date / detailed / realistic investigation of cutting the line. -The government claims to be in a ‘budget black hole’ and has been slashing public sector jobs yet they have committed to this expensive destruction of public transport -Cutting the line will disadvantage the el- have a trial of new at-grade pedestrian in Newcastle come what may. Their du- derly, parents with prams, people with crossings to provide better connectivity. plicity is outrageous. bikes and surfboards, blind people and Your support is greatly appreciated. wheelchair users. It will make parents in -Previous proposals by Greiner and Costa Regards, the Hunter Valley think twice before send- have openly advocated building on the rail ing their kids on the train for a day at the corridor (it is in a prime location close to beach as the service will no longer drop Zane Alcorn the Harbour) and a 2008 concept proposal people 2 blocks from Newcastle beach. Save Our Rail executive member by developer GPT depicted buildings in the corridor. This has been the primary -The Urban Renewal Strategy document motive all along. After 20 years of having has a bunch of pretty pictures of repaved m:0401466831 the brazen greed of handing public rail and refurbished streets, arcades and piaz- For more info, including proactive plans land to developers rejected, the latest plan zas in Newcastle. Virtually all of this to improve public transport in Newcastle, cynically claims that the land will become please visit saveourrail.org.au/ a ‘green corridor’ and will never be built on. Save Our Rail is under no illusions.

WB: Waverley has now more gas buses than diesel. We recently received some STATE TRANSIT NEWSFLASH old Scania buses from Kingsgrove. We are awaiting more. Opinions are divided about these buses. Some are quite in favour of properly completed. In particular, the STA these buses. WAVERLEY DEPOT NEWS is complaining it’s not being categorised However, the STA appears to be favour- properly. The STA now wants drivers to ing diesel buses, over gas buses in the gen- check with Inspectors and their supervi- eral STA fleet. A likely reason is the RW: What’s happening with the sor when overtime is recorded, who will bosses and Lib’s drive to cut costs and dis- bosses’ attempts to cut overtime show how to write it up correctly via a regard environmental considerations. The money? step by step process. Now, when the STA considers these buses are cheaper to Waverley Busie: Recently notices have bosses query the amount of overtime you operate, in contrast to the gas buses. The been put up in the depot on the issue of claim, they will be putting a little note on gas buses also require more time to fuel in how we are claiming overtime. The STA your journal. It all appears to be a another comparison to the diesels. However, diesel is complaining that drivers aren’t calculat- pathetic scam to nick more money from fumes are highly toxic. Whilst gas bus ex- ing it properly, involving wrongly show- us. hausts are much more environmentally ing the amount of overtime worked and RW: What’s the latest with depot fleet? friendly. that the relevant paper work isn’t being 6 Rebel Worker

This whole approach of disregarding envi- creased 700% over the last 40 years. The Given these buses have no windows that ronmental considerations, in the interests pay of CEO’s and upper management is can be manually opened, both drivers and of big business profit making and cost cut- sky rocketing. In the case of the STA CEO, passengers would have experienced con- ting has been a continuing feature of ALP Peter Rowley is on a contract of roughly siderable discomfort. and Lib Govt. policies over the years. One approx. $450,000 pa. Whilst, employers RW: What’s happening with lower obvious case which comes to mind, is the are screwing us ever more. Both husband admin. Restructuring? Rightwing ALP NSW voting against con- and wife are being obliged to work for a BD: There have been more requests for tainer deposit legislation and the banning family to make a living. Our work place voluntary redundancy amongst corridor of plastic bags at shops. This hostility to rights and conditions are continuing to be supervisors and duty officers, than there recycling and other environmentally eroded. According to a David Jones are positions being made redundant as part friendly policies, seems also about the worker, I spoke to recently, over 90% of of the restructure. It’s unclear, what will Libs/ALP not wanting to be seen having staff at DJ’s are casuals! Is the O’Farrell happen with those admin. Staff who want environmental policies which have a Govt. happy for everyone to be casuals? Is to stay on the job and are unsuccessful in Greens stamp upon them. this the capitalist work place “Utopia”, winning the newly created positions. which the Neo Conservative Liberals are RW: How have the depot renovations RW: What’s the latest with the bosses? been proceeding? striving for, which is confusing, undemo- WB: Associated with the depot ren- ovations has been the installation of a diesel fuel tank located high up with the aid of a crane. Whilst, all sheds and the admin block are being renovated. Why hasn’t some of the revenue the STA has collected over the years been used to fix up the de- pot in the past? Has it all gone to the Govt’s coffers? Why is this money being splashed out on the renova- tions now? RW: What’s the latest with STA admin. Restructuring? WB: Heaps of inspector jobs are ex- pected to be made redundant, result- ing in some who are unsuccessful in gaining the new positions which are being created being put off the job. It just goes to show how the STA is cratic, frustrating and insecure for work- BD: The bosses are becoming increas- doing things on the run. It’s doing every- ers? ingly draconian. In the depot they have put thing on the run, without looking at the up notices, threatening drivers with disci- long term consequences of the loss of plinary action if we don’t wear the new these highly experienced staff. When BURWOOD DEPOT NEWS uniform by the end of January. Despite some crisis occurs on the job, the disas- drivers having ordered the new uniform, trous consequences of this approach will RW: What’s the latest at Burwood? they have still not received it. Latest, news become clear. Burwood Driver: Recently new rosters is that the manufacturer has advised they RW: What’s the latest developments have appeared. As they have Leichhardt have run out of different sizes of it. How- with the ferries? Depot on them, most drivers are ignoring ever, the manager has said this isn’t an ex- WB: Six months since the privatisation of them. However, those who have exam- cuse. As drivers should have ordered it the ferries, the Telegraph newspaper has ined them, have noticed all shifts have early. This approach doesn’t make any been crowing about it being a success. been trimmed back. So the changes will sense to me, given the supplier doesn’t However, there is no other ferry service in effectively amount to a wage cut. These have the uniforms to supply. Sydney to compare its performance. Con- rosters appear to be in line with STA plans sequently, the Telegraph story can only be for rosters for different districts e.g. East- HAMILTON DEPOT NEWS propaganda for big business and the Libs ern, Northern, etc. The bosses plan to in- more aggressive pursuit of the troduce these rosters, is likely to be in line privatisation agenda. Its claims are bogus. with the restructure of STA administra- RW: What’s the state of the fleet at the RW: How are the bosses treating staff at tion. This restructuring which is connected depot? the depot? to O’Farrell’s public sector cuts involves Hamilton Driver: The state of the depot WB: Lately we have noticed them wear- the abolishing of many management jobs. fleet up here is falling into rapid decline. ing rather menacing “highly polished” 3rd The higher STA bosses appear to be resist- Often the buttons are not working and the Reich foot ware, apparently due to the per- ing the loss of their jobs, through saving doors malfunctioning. We have things formance pressures of their contracts. budget money from operations via cuts to like put “in the maintenance book”, but the Their jackboots have particularly been tar- our wages. next time a driver get’s that bus, obviously geting new drivers, resulting in their high Other news at the depot was that on Friday nothing has been done to repair it. I am told turnover at the depot. 18/1/13, there were 16 buses with mal- they have a budget for repairs and once RW: Is this job making you sick? functioning air conditioning systems, due that’s exhausted, that’s it. Rather than as it to STA corner cutting on maintenance. should be, the buses are not fixed on de- WB: It’s been statistically proven that in mand when broken as they used to be. This Australia, workers productivity has in- used to occur very occasionally in the past, 7 Rebel Worker but it is becoming almost a weekly occur- Leichhardt Busie: The most important A possible strategy of the bosses to imple- rence now. The bosses have run these news lately is that the bosses have put up in ment these cuts is to wait until the current buses into the ground and replaced nothing the depot, new proposed rosters with ma- EBA runs out and then try to implement for years and now their falling apart. jor changes. Most dramatically, the rosters the proposed rosters. Using some loophole don’t include Sundays. This work will be which their lawyers have advised them given to the casuals, they want to also in- about. Whilst some drivers who consider LEICHHARDT DEPOT troduce, to boost their wages. Whilst Mid the changes in the rosters don’t affect NEWS days will have nearly 2/3’s of their lines of them might vote to accept the rosters. work cut. These changes will mean major RW: What’s the latest news at Leich- cuts to many drivers wages. The union has hardt? made clear that these changes won’t be ac- cepted and there will be a fight. VICTORIAN RAILWAY NEWS

In this issue of RW we will discuss Jethro: Labor lost the election but with the CARD CARRYING members of the LIB- Privatisation of V/Line and recent man- exception of two seats lost in Rural Victo- ERAL PARTY and they like to see V/Line agement changes. Once again Head Of- ria, Labor held on to the other Rural seats, Privatised as this would put the Unions in fice, Conductors, Drivers and Station Staff they won at the 1999 State Election. You line. will discuss these ongoing issues. see due to the Regional Fast Rail, major Rastus and Roscoe: They may want to put RW: Can you tell us about a Newspaper commuter lines were upgraded and extra the Unions in line, but when Privatisation article in the AGE for the 2/11/2012, trains were placed on these lines. In 2002 occurred in 1999, we retained all our con- about Privatisation of V/Line? National Express packed up and handed ditions. Other State Railway employees Clarence: It was only a rumour. look to Victoria and ask how when Rastus and Roscoe: We drivers Privatised we kept our conditions. heard of this rumour before the arti- Sheona: The reason V/Line will not cle appeared in the AGE. You see be Privatised until after the 2014 some of our Drivers who work at STATE ELECTION is that the LIB- METRO Trains informed us that ERAL/NATIONAL Party Coalition about last February. METRO Trains does not hold any Lower House approached V/Line Management seats in Geelong, Ballarat and with an offer to take over the opera- Bendigo and if V/Line was fran- tion of V/Line. In return its alleged chised then Country Voters would that METRO Trains offered to sup- not vote for the Coalition, thus La- ply new trains without Government bor will retain these Country Seats. Finance. Clarence: It look like V/Line won’t Sheona: It was obvious that be privatised before the STATE METRO Trains wanted V/Line ELECTION, so we call all V/Line trains, as they regard V/Line trains workers to go out and campaign as an obstacle to METRO Trains op- against Privatisation via Media Out- erations, particularly in the lets and talking to passengers. the Franchise back to the Government. EASTERN corridor. RW: Moving on I hear the Victorian The suburban trains franchises stayed with Government owns the XPT. Rastus: If METRO got their hands on the the Private Sector and V/Line reverted to V/Line line operation, then they could Government ownership. Rastus and Roscoe: This is correct. It was stop trains at Pakenham and make passen- purchased by the Victorian Government in Clarence: After the Regional Fast Rail gers change to METRO trains. This would 1993, so as to replace the Sydney Mel- Project was completed V/Line was to be allow METRO to put out of existence bourne Express. franchised to the Private Sector. This trains using V/Line paths. never happened and it was explosed in the Clarence: The train is in the XPT pool and RW: What happened after the article AGE after the state election, that a motion is staffed by CountryLink, except for driv- appeared in the Paper? had been passed at an ALP State Confer- ers who are supplied by V/Line and run the Roscoe: As soon as the item appeared, the ence to Keep V/Line in Government train from Melbourne to Junee. When op- State Premier appeared on Media Outlets hands, the AGE journalist claims this was erations commenced in 1993 V/Line em- saying that V/Line would not be privatised the reason the ALP held these Rural Seats. ployees ran the train to Albury. They lost these jobs in 1994 due to Transport Re- in the foreseeable future. Rastus and Roscoe: We were at a Drivers forms of the 1990’s. How V/Line lost RW: Why? Union meeting and the Drivers Delegate these jobs will be discussed in a future is- told the meeting that the STATE MINIS- Rastus and Roscoe: You see when the Lib- sue of RW. eral/National coalition won Government TER OF TRANSPORT had told the in 2010, they only have a majority of one RTBU officials that if Labor was Rastus: In 1999 when V/Line was Priva- seat in Parliament. re-elected, V/Line would remain in Gov- tised, an attempt was made to take V/Line ernment hands. drivers of the train. The drivers resisted Sheona: One of the reasons the Labor this attempt and kept the jobs on the XPT. Party lost the election was train delays on Sheona: This may be true, but working in METRO train services. The Liberal Party Head Office, some of our STAFF are Roscoe: V/Line drivers working on the said they would fix up the Transport mess. XPT may be coming to an end, as there are 8 Rebel Worker rumours that the Victorian Government Clarence: Mr Barnet did bit want to termi- Rastus and Roscoe: No cuts to frontline maybe going to sell the XPT, they own to nate staff, as he has stated V/Line was a staff. They will try to change rosters, so as CountryLink. If this sale goes ahead, the family and cutting staff would lower mo- to reduce the staff by making shifts longer. V/Line drivers running the XPT will end. rale. The cuts should be made in Human Re- RW: Will the sale of the XPT be a pre- Sheona: The Government because it wants sources. We wonder what they do. In fact lude to selling CountryLink? over the last seven years, this depart- Rastus: Yes it is, for once the NSW Govt. ment has increased at the expense of get’s their hands on the train, then they station staff. will be able to put CountryLik out for RW: It is obvious V/Line is not going franchising. to be privatised before the next State Sheona: Maybe, not until after the 2015 Election, but there are to be job cuts. NSW State Elections, as the NSW Govt. These must be resisted. do not have a mandate to sell Rastus and Roscoe: In having the final CountryLink. say, Privatisation is asset stripping by Roscoe: Correct. the Government for their mates in the Private Sector. RW: I have heard there has been a management change at V/Line? As for those employees who are card carrying members of the Liberal Party, Sheona: The Chief Executive Officer Rob get to your branches meeting and op- Barnet has resigned. to keep a Budget Surplus has ordered job pose any further privatisations. RW: Why? cuts in the Public Service. As V/Line is Finally, if you hear of any employee sup- Sheona: Yes, he has resigned, as he was part of the Government, then cuts have to porting Privatisation, EXPOSE THEM. told by the CEO of Public Transport Vic- be made in administration staff. They say toria to cut staff. there will be no cuts to front line staff.

and defended the factory and the machin- ery needed for production. They have WORKERS’ CONTROL IN GREECE! continued to reach out to other workers and communities throughout Greece, re- ceiving tremendous support. The solidar- more taxes – not having been paid since ity and support of all of these groups, May 2011, the workers of Vio.Me, by de- communities and individuals, has made an Occupied Greek Factory cision of the general assembly of the union important contribution towards the sur- Begins Production Under declare their determination not to fall prey vival of the workers and their families thus Workers’ Control Monday, to a condition of perpetual unemploy- far. This experience of worker’s occupation to February 11, 2013 ment, but instead to take the factory in their own hands to operate themselves. It workers recovery and control is not new – either historically or cur- Occupy, Resist, Produce! rently. Since 2001 there are close to 300 “We see this as the only future for workplaces that are run worker’s struggles.” democratically by workers in Argentina, ranging from health clinics and newspa- By Makis Anagnostou, Vio.Me work- pers and schools, to metal ers’ union spokesman factories, print shops and a hotel. The experience Tuesday, February 12, 2013 is the offi- there has shown that work- cial first day of production under work- ers together cannot only ers control in the factory of run their own workplace, Viomichaniki Metalleutiki (Vio.Me) in but can do it better. The ex- Thessaloniki, Greece. This means pro- ample of Argentina has duction organized without bosses and spread throughout the hierarchy, and instead planned with di- Americas, and now to Eu- rectly democratic assemblies of the rope and the US. In Chi- workers. The workers assemblies have is now time for worker’s control of cago, workers of New declared an end to unequal division of re- Vio.Me.!” (Statement of the Open Soli- World Windows have begun production sources, and will have equal and fair re- darity Initiative, written together with the under workers control after years of strug- muneration, decided collectively. The workers of Vio.Me – full state- gles with former owners and bosses. And factory produces building materials, and ment:Viome.org) now in Greece, workers are again showing they have declared that they plan to move Workers in Vio.Me stopped being paid in that the way forward – out of unemploy- towards a production of these goods that is May of 2011, and subsequently the own- ment – refusing the crisis –is workers con- not harmful for the environment, and in a ers and managers abandoned the factory. trol and directly democratic way that is not toxic or damaging. After a series of assemblies the workers self-management. “With unemployment climbing to 30% – decided that together they would run the “We urge all workers, the unemployed sick and tired of big words, promises and factory. Since then, they have occupied and all those who are affected by the crisis to stand by the workers of Vio.Me and 9 Rebel Worker support them in their effort to put in prac- their families, the capital needed to con- Solidarity Statements as well as questions tice the belief that workers can make it tinue production is huge. The workers’ un- can be sent to: [email protected] without bosses! To participate in the strug- ion has a business plan that is sustainable, Signed, gle and organize their own fights within but will take time to get off the ground. Thessaloniki Solidarity Initiative, their work places, with directly demo- These first months are crucial. Financial Brendan Martin (Working World), Dario cratic procedures and without bureau- help can make all the difference. Any con- Azzellini and Marina Sitrin crats.” (Union’s website: tribution is helpful. biom-metal.blogspot.gr) http://blog.occupiedlondon.org/2013/...r Direct financial support can be sent to the kers-control/ As with all factory recuperations, the Vio.Me workers’ union in Thessaloniki question of initial financing is central. through the International Solidarity While solidarity has been able to maintain Website: viome.org the lives of the workers of Vio.Me and

BRITAIN TODAY

IF YOU EXPLOIT US, WE The demo, part of Boycott Workfare’s The extra people on workfare means less Britain-wide week of action, was organ- holiday pay for the regular staff. There WILL SHUT YOU DOWN! ised by Edinburgh Coalition Against Pov- was a lot of police about and Superdrug erty and supported by Greater Leith had hired extra security for the day. How- Resistance to Workfare Continues Against the Cuts. The protest, around ever the combination of the picket, the Edinburgh 40-strong, was considered a real success leaflet saying, ‘Don’t Shop At Superdrug’ Protestors blockaded and occupied both by participants. Hopefully British Heart and the added security costs meant we suc- British Heart Foundation and Superdrug Foundation will now realise that they must ceeded in our objective of costing in Edinburgh on 8th December 2012, in withdraw completely from workfare or Superdrug money for using Workfare. opposition to their participation in the suffer continued disruption, and the anti The Superdrug distortions – ‘Work Expe- government’s workfare schemes. —— A -workfare movement will grow and rience’ is not voluntary in practice. Job huge banner declaring “If You Exploit Us spread to effectively challenge all users of Centre Plus and third party workfare prof- We Will Shut You Down” blocked the en- forced unpaid labour. iteers like A4E bully benefit claimants on trance to the BHF furniture store in Leith’s Glasgow to the scheme. Benefit claimants can have Kirkgate centre as demonstrators occu- On Saturday 8th December 2012 their benefits cut if they do not continue to pied the shop. Impromptu speeches were given inside and out, explaining that although BHF had claimed to be “moving away” from workfare, they were still taking on new compulsory placements. After half an hour inside BHF, protestors moved round the corner to blockade Superdrug. Many stopped to listen to spokespeople for the protest who gave speeches through a megaphone, stressing that this action was part of the wider resis- tance to the attacks by the rich on the poor. Hundreds took leaflets denouncing workfare and in particular the new imposi- tion of workfare on the sick and disabled. Many people came up to the stall outside the occupied stores and joined ECAP’s solidarity network for mutual support against the authorities. Clydeside IWW, the Crutch Collective, ‘volunteer’ to stay on the scheme, after Demonstrators then moved inside Glasgow Anarchist Federation, Glasgow they have been on the scheme for a week. Superdrug, where a protestor gave a Solidarity Federation, the Right To Work Only a tiny number of people on workfare speech explaining that this action was Campaign and other individuals leafleted get jobs afterwards. against workfare and in solidarity with a branch of Superdrug in one of the city Thanks to Resistance Bulletin Superdrug workers whose wages and con- centre’s busiest streets. The one thousand ditions were being undermined by the leaflets given out highlighted Superdrug company’s use of workfare. In Brighton taking on even more people on the Gov- UNIONS CRACK DOWN Superdrug are not taking on Xmas staff ernment’s ‘Work Experience’ workfare but are using workfare conscripts instead. scheme for the Christmas period. Appar- Stories about the government threatening Although the police and the Kirkgate’s se - ently someone also left placards saying a “crack down” on trade union power curity guards were present they did not at- ‘Superdrug + Unpaid Work = emerge almost on a loop. Particularly in tempt to stop the occupations. Superdrudgery’ outside their other city times of heightened class antagonism. But centre branch. 10 Rebel Worker far from showing the unions as threats to As a member of PCS (British Public Ser- with Thatcher’s anti-strike laws – suggests society, such threats are a demand that the vice Union), I’ll be the first to argue that it that they will take such attacks lying unions tighten up their role in policing is far from a militant union. I’ve detailed down. And for good reason, as a May 2012 . before its role in selling out disputes, as article for Black Flag details: The latest such story comes from the Inde- well as how reductive it has been in “lead- Chilli Sauce wrote: pendent, the main headline of which is a ing from the front” as far as the coordi- Unions officials are expected to be ‘re- policy to “make strikes illegal unless at nated action over pensionswas concerned. sponsible leaders’. This includes ensuring least 50 per cent of union members voted Despite this, it finds itself in the firing line workers ‘stick to their half of the bargain’, in a ballot.” This ties in with government because of the Cabinet Office’s determi- follow the union-negotiated collective rhetoric about ballot turnout whenever nation to attack the jobs, pay and working agreement, and stay within the bounds of they attempt to discredit industrial action conditions of civil servants. Being to the labour legislation. If they fail do these by a major union. left (for what little that’s worth) of the things, the leaders’ privileged role (which, There are a number of reasons for low mainstream trade union spectrum it will on the national level, includes six-figure turnout. The main one is that the law in- not be as quick as, say, Unison to stitch up salaries) as ‘representatives of organized sists upon postal ballots sent to members’ its membership on these issues. Moreover, labour’ is compromised. Union assets will homes as the way to gain a strike mandate. trading as it does on its role as the “fighting be frozen, leaders could be jailed, and the Postal ballots necessarily have a lower left leadership” of the union movement, it bosses—with whom the ‘social partner- turnout than workplace ballots, and other is far more sensitive than many other un- ship’ has been struck—will have no incen- restrictions on promoting industrial action ions to rank-and-file pressures – as I’ve tive to continue to recognize or negotiate in many workplaces exacerbate this. As do detailed before. All of which, despite it not with the union. the fact that, in large unions spread across being very militant at all, makes PCS far When workers ask, “why don’t the unions many workplaces, high turnouts fight this?” The answer is that it from the best organised branches isn’t worth their jobs and their will be offset by low turnouts in positions. The government less well organised workplaces, or knows that - “capital and gov- even those which have no reps in ernment are very aware the di- them. vision between the union However, although this is the mea- officialdom and the sure which always gains headlines, rank-and-file.” Thus, all the the 50% ballot threshold isn’t the union tops can do is meekly most important. The Indy reports protest the attacks, hoping that that Whitehall opinion is divided things don’t get worse again. on this measure, with Francis For PCS in particular, the threat Maude and Vince Cable amongst to remove payroll subs collec- those who oppose it. They must tion is a very serious one. The know as well as the TUC (British union is losing members thanks ACTU) that this type of restriction to the contraction of the civil risks increasing the amount of service, and it has already wildcat action workers take, the started to impose its own aus- opposite effect to that intended by terity measures internally – these threats. cutting the length of annual Restricting further the ability of the conference, scrapping certain unions to take action will only lead equality events and even shed- to a rise in rank-and-file move- ding jobs – to save money. Sev- ments willing to act independently. eral years of heavy Both the unions and the govern- campaigning have also left it ment have a shared interest in avoiding too militant for the government’s liking. heavily in the red, making this situation this. Instead, the aim of the periodic threats That is why, whilst the 50% ballot thresh- more dire. of union busting is to get the trade unions old is unlikely to be implemented, other From this point then, there are two op- to tighten up their role as keepers of indus- measures here should be taken seriously. tions: do as the government asks and po- trial peace. The Cabinet Office is already imposing se- lice class conflict more tightly, or go on the Tellingly, the Indy article says that the rious restrictions on trade union facility offensive. The latter is suicide for PCS as a government “have established a construc- time within the civil service, removing it representative structure, so it really only tive relationship with the TUC and, de- for attending union conferences or meet- becomes one option. spite ideological differences, with ings concerned with “internal union busi- For the rank-and-file of the union, our Britain’s largest union, Unite.” Not a sur- ness,” but also – more worryingly – even choice is slightly different: accept this prise to most militants, but certainly a for reps consulting each other on how best reigning in with a grumble, or launch the frank admission of their role in the class to deal with personal cases. Now, it is fur- offensive that the union refuses to, against collaboration that defines the representa- ther talking about “scrapping the arrange- the union itself where necessary. This is al- tive function of trade unions. On the other ment where membership subs are paid ready happening to some extent with the hand, “ministers are also examining new direct through the Whitehall payroll.” Civil Service Rank & File Network. Num- steps to crack down on the Public and The recent history of the trade union bering in the tens, we have forced a sub- Commercial Services union, representing movement in response to such attacks – stantial movement from the union civil servants and local government staff, going back to the TUC’s collaboration bureaucracy. Numbering in the hundreds which is regarded as the most militant in or thousands, we could not only continue Britain.” 11 Rebel Worker to do that but raise the question of how we of trade union strength in the public sector able to preserve themselves, in both cases ultimately go beyond PCS and render the will also embolden other employers with it will be at our expense. Instead, we need representative structure completely irrele- recognition agreements to impose similar to organise on the ground, win the argu- vant in favour of . restrictions and employers whose staff are ments for acting independently and seize But this issue is not confined to PCS and making their first organising efforts to be direct control of our own struggles. the civil service. Already, the Tax Payers even more ruthless in cracking down. Alliance is demanding that similar mea- The so-called war on the unions then poses Thanks to Phil’s Blog sures are implemented in the rest of the an ultimatum all of us. If the government public sector. No doubt taking on the heart smashes the unions entirely, or if they are SELF-MANAGEMENT IN EGYPT

A reality unprecedented is taking place protesters, but also because the The factories are closed, marine traffic is in the city of Port Said: a complete Government officials were convinced that blocked, it produces only what you need self-management, a rejection of every- Port Said would have required massive and stays open only to provide the neces- thing that represents authority. A fact Government intervention to quell the sary services. It makes the bread (pictured that the protagonists of the struggle of likely riots . Instead, the reality is very dif- at right, a shop selling bread at low prices, the Egyptian right now - the workers - ferent and shows that a city without the the signals indicate the reasons for the pro- are trying to play in other cities. “law enforcement” is safer and better test ), the food, hospitals and pharmacies Port Said has become a place completely lives. remain open. In every factory, the workers in the hands of the people. At the entrance Then there is a tacit agreement that allows decide whether to continue production or of the city, in the past there were many po- the army (mostly respected by the people not and the answer is NO generally now. Before justice, before completion of the revolution and, if anything, it will then re- start production. A new form of self-organization is being tested in schools. These remain open but the same families of Port Said people re- fuse to send their children to government schools. In these hours teachers and the popular committee is trying to organize popular schools in the central square, re- named Tahrir Square in Port Said, where, in addition to academic subjects, they want to teach social justice and the values ??of the Egyptian revolution. A reality that may seem impossible. After the death of the 21 defendants for the killings in the stadium, a new popular con- sciousness has arisen in this city, in the past, probably very conservative. In fact, to be condemned were 21 young people, mostly students, while the blame for the massacre must be sought in the political sphere, the judgment appears to have been lice checkpoints, now there is a and traditionally less tied to the regime a sop given to those seeking justice. None check-point format, however, by the peo- than the police) to preside over key points of the defendants came from the ranks of ple, especially striking workers, of the city, but no power to intervene. the police or of the state and its secret ser- self-proclaimed “People’s Police” . The So the reality is this: unarmed military to vices. Port Said has understood this and as same is true for traffic: no more police, but guard places such as the court and the im- soon as the death sentences were handed young people, students and workers who portant port (now on strike) and the “Peo- down, protests broke out that led to the control urban traffic. ple’s Police” in charge of security in the killing of forty protesters. Some of them As for the factor “security”, with city. even at the funeral of the victims of the ri- self-management, the streets are now safer The rejection of everything that represents ots. From here began the than ever. The police - following the pro- authority is in practice not to pay govern- and civil disobedience. tests, the popular anger that followed the ment taxes and bills, even rejecting any A reality that we ourselves, never imag- 21 death sentences related to the massacre communication with the central and local ined. in Port Said and the 40 victims of the sub- governments. Anger, initially born from a desire for jus- sequent clashes - last week was forced to The closure of the central government and tice for the death penalty and for the next agree to leave the city in the hands of the the self-organization of means and modes 40 victims, but then grew and became po- people . of production, make the experience of Port litical. The strong militancy of workers The government has agreed to remove the Said a reality and an unprecedented trial and the growth of awareness of the popu- police due to the irrefutable video evi- of a new way of life, to produce, to exist. lation of Port Said have made this unprece- dence showing police shooting and killing 12 Rebel Worker dented protest a fight that both shakes the Similarly hundreds took to the streets to Initially, the residents of Port Said had an- regime . A fight that, if implemented in invoke a general strike across the country, nounced plans to continue the strike until other cities, could really bring the regime many schools and universities have now 9th March. Its continuation will be de- to its knees. announced a general strike. pendent on the leadership of workers. The On Monday a large demonstration was It is unknown how this experience, called future is uncertain, but certainly full of po- held in the streets of Port Said: independ- “the Egyptian city of Paris,” will continue. tential. ent unions of workers, students, took to Surely it is difficult to carry on a fight like The difficulties at the time may seem a lot, the streets with many who departed from this at a time when the central government but the awareness of all the people (not Cairo to express solidarity to the workers might disconnect water and electricity only workers), the practice of refusal of the and to the city of Port Said in the fight. A and, for now, if not, it’s only because it regime, the self-organization, are all ele- great procession took to the streets of the fears more explosions of anger amongst ments that seem to give the positive out- city, appealing for a general strike across the population. In addition, the continua- look in these struggles. the country. tion or not of the workers’ strikes, is Thanks to A-Infos Meanwhile, other Egyptian cities have in strongly linked to the possibility that this recent weeks experienced major strikes : will generalize and reproduce in other cit- in Mahalla, Mansoura, Suez workers in ies. many factories went on strike for weeks.

100pc, but would get “I had really easy assignments and when 200pc if they were I’d come back after a break, I would get a twice as fast.One for- horrendous score and wonder why,” he Ireland Today mer picker, who did not said. “One manager said to me that it was want to be named, said due to the breaks. staff were under huge “You might get 80pc because you took a STAFF at a Tesco warehouse have to pressure due to the de- break, and would have to get 120pc later wear digital arm-band devices that con- vices, which are like Game Boys strapped on to make it up. Some guys were amazing stantly monitor their performance. to their wrists. and got averages of 110pc all the time. Workers at the distribution centre in He said many of his colleagues were east- Sweating Donabate in Dublin claim they got ern Europeans, whose language skills “The guys who made the scores were lower scores on the rating system if they sweating buckets and throwing stuff keyed in that they went to the toilet or around the place.” took a break. Tesco said the distribution centre at Tesco said there was a ‘break’ function on Donabate uses modern work practices, in- the devices that was used to log stoppages, cluding the use of arm-mounted terminals. but denied it had any impact on productiv- It said the AMTs were a working aid and ity scores. Known as arm-mounted termi- did not monitor staff on their breaks. nals (AMTs), workers said that the Motorola devices were used to monitor the A spokesman said there was a ‘break’ performance of ‘order pickers’, who load function used to log stoppages for genuine supplies, and forklift drivers.They are not reasons, including going on breaks. “An used by managers, administrative workers average of 25 minutes a day has been fac- or security staff. tored into the system for genuine breaks,” he said. “This has been in place since the They said the device instructs employees system was introduced and means that how to pick their orders by scanning were not good enough to get jobs in the break times do not impact on productivity barcodes and stacking goods on a trolley.It services industry. The worker said he got scores in any way.” also has an in-built performance monitor, “surprisingly lower” scores if he took a which grades them every time they collect break or went to the toilet. He said lunch He said the “paperless order picking sys- goods in the warehouse and bring them to a break was not counted in the scores.Some- tem” had been in place for five years and dispatch area. They said they got percent- times, management would call staff to an was a feature of any modern warehouse fa- age scores for collection assignments, like office and tell them they had to do better if cility. The spokesman said Tesco had an loading beer or toilet rolls.The devices their scores were low. agreement with SIPTU(Irish Union) in re- give a set amount of time for a task, such as lation to work practices. 20 minutes to load packets of soft drinks.If Thanks to Independent Irish News they did it in 20 minutes, they would get

Since its beginnings, the Italian workers’ movement has expressed two trends: one Italy’s Rebel ‘Base’ Unionism bureaucratic and tending towards reform- ist, the other self-organized and tendentially more radical or revolutionary. A member of the Federazione dei “The unions were born, historically These two trends have often cohabited Communisti Anarchici (FdCA) goes speaking, in the workplace as a result of within the same mass organization while over the history of the ‘base unions’ in precise material needs of the working at other times they have given rise to dif- Italy. masses who made up its membership and ferent organizations. In the first decade of under whose control they operated.” the 20th century, the two trends in fact cor- responded to two different labour organi- zations - the reformist CGdL and the 13 Rebel Worker revolutionary syndicalist USI (a split from ingrained on the collective union memory, in fact, the widescale disagreement among the CGdL), while there were also radical thanks to its forms and content. This is the train drivers with the confederal unions’ unions among the railway and marine climate in which the category of “syndical policies led to the creation of a strong new workers. Anarchist workers were mem- base” was born, an area which is opposed union, the COMU. bers of these unions, and even occupied to the bureaucracy of management and fed The COBAS in the schools created for positions of great responsibility within by the ethos and experiences of struggle themselves an organization of school dele- them. and organization from below and which gates, later provincial delegates who par- During the famous Biennio Rosso (“Two pervaded Italy throughout the ‘70s. In the ticipated in the national assembly. Being a Red Years”), from 1919 to 1921, which anarchist movement, only the young anar- mass movement, they included tens of preceded the advent of fascism, Factory chist communist organizations understood thousands of teachers who were already Councils were formed in the occupied fac- what was happening and they created na- members of unions, and some who were- tories, in which anarchist workers played a tional structures for the coordination of an- n’t. Also in the schools, the confederal un- determining role. This was the first exam- archist workers. ions were unable to re-absorb the COBAS ple in Italy of grassroots labour organiza- Many militants entered the confederal un- who, however, quickly became bogged tions in the workplace. ions, which they considered mass organi- down in sterile debate about whether or The Fascist regime then instituted its own zations where it was possible to meet large not to remain as a mass movement or to set syndicates, within which recent historiog- numbers of workers and where, through a themselves up as a new union in the sector, raphy has recognized the role of those process of , they could something which led to them almost disap- ex-USI syndicalists who did not go into work from a grassroots level towards the pearing altogether from the scene. exile, but stayed in Italy at the side of the defence of the immediate interests of the In 1988, we wrote: workers. It was certainly a difficult choice class and for the historical interests of the “Both as a result of the pulverization of la- given the risk of compromise with the Fas- proletariat. bour structures (in schools as in the rail- cist regime, but it also helped in the sur- The economic crisis of the late ‘70s and ways) and due to the absence of vival of “red” ideas which later led to the the pincer effect on the mass struggle cre- alternative proposals, the problematic factory revolts of 1938 and the General ated by political terrorism and State re- re-growth of models such as councilism Strike of 1943. pression opened the doors to the labour has forced the movements into an exasper- In the same year, the attempt on the part of defeats of the early ‘80s, together with an ated ”assemblyism" which only serves to anarchists and radical communists in the abandonment of reformist policies by the favour political rather than direct repre- newly-liberated South to build the CGL confederal unions. In 1984, the movement sentation [...]. So while recent phases of was smothered by the government, the of the “self-convening factory councils” the social conflicts have seen a renewed Allies and the parties in the CLN and led to tried to revive the expectations of the need for the direct involvement of large the creation of the CGIL after the war. In “syndical base” regarding questions such sectors of employed workers - which could this, the anarchist current was so active as the autonomy of workplace councils be described as a strong drive towards the that it was offered the position of general and wages which, thanks to the CGIL’s self-management of the struggle - there secretary alongside a communist, a social- strategy, had lost their characteristic of has also been a notable absence of an or- ist and a catholic. The offer was rejected. “independent variable” in the productive ganizational model which would be able to But there had already begun a progressive cycle. It was the last attempt within the respond satisfactorily to the formation of distancing of the Italian anarchist move- factories to rebel against the cruel destiny organisms which can effectively and de- ment from union work and the attempt at which over 15 years had transformed the finitively break with the bureaucratic and re-constituting the USI failed. Councils from autonomous agents in the institutionalised syndicalism of the class struggle into cogs in the machine of The CGIL then suffered two splits: the confederal unions." 2 the unions. The structural changes in the But by this stage, the banks had burst. The catholic area left in order to create today’s productive cycle were by that stage taking CISL which then itself split, when the first anti-strike laws directed against the place against the backdrop of a weakening cobas were approved with the okay of the non-religious social-democratic part with- of workers’ organizations in the factories, drew to create today’s UIL. Only the com- confederal unions and served to deepen in tune with the political choices of the un- the divide. In 1991 there was the first na- munist and socialist areas remained within ion bureaucracies outside the factories. the CGIL. tionwide strike called by the various cobas In fact, it was in the state sector, which had groups from different categories against The reformist drive which affected the avoided the structural changes affecting country from the mid ‘60s to the early ‘70s the Gulf War. COBAS was no longer a sin- the factories, that the struggle from below gle grassroots organization or mass move- was responsible for a rebirth of the Factory was to take off again: there had already Councils with different structural charac- ment, but had become synonymous with a been skirmishes in the areas of transport, plethora of small union organizations. teristics to those of the ‘20s, but basically health and education in the late ‘70s, but establishing themselves as organs of au- This was the moment of the birth of “base 1986 was to see the explosion of the syndicalism, or grassroots syndicalism, tonomous self-organized workers’ power. COBAS in the schools and railway sec- The first grassroots labour collectives as distinct from confederal syndicalism. It tors. Their principal demands were large was a galaxy, composed for the main part known as cub (“comitati unitari di base,” pay increases for everyone, an end to wage or unitary grassroots committees) were of advanced political militants active in incentives, permanent contracts for those the world of labor, but was potentially ca- also founded throughout the country. This on temporary contracts and union rights corresponded to the emergence of political pable of attracting large radical sectors of for all workers. As these demands were in the class. During the first great financial formations to the left of the PCI and of a direct contrast to those of the confederal radical syndicalist left within the CGIL. crisis following the war, the unions, the latter were seen as a counter- CGIL-CISL-UIL trio were forced into During this decade, the confederal unions, part to the COBAS movement. The partnership with the government and the CGIL-CISL-UIL, were able to re-absorb “syndical base” awoke again, this time in bosses and in the autumn of 1993 there and defuse the autonomy of the Factory sectors which were not a traditional part of were violently vociferous protests in the Councils, but the grassroots, the council tradition, to shake up the union streets against their leaders. The war on self-organized syndicalist option had by bureaucracies or try new methods. Soon, union representation was now declared that stage reached the point of becoming 14 Rebel Worker and the agreements signed by these three cluded from the IWA, is limited more or It grew out of a split in the machinists’ sec- unions, by which they managed to obtain less to the city of where it is quite ac- tor of the CISL. It has been able to reach an exclusive on the right to represent the tive through its policy of labour forums. the requisites which enable it to enjoy na- workers, seemed like a bad joke. Both organizations lay claim to the name tional representativity, something which 1995-2001 USI. has permitted it to participate in talks for These were the years of centre-left govern- CIB Unicobas: This union was born from national work contracts, while placing it- ment when we witnessed the absolute sub- the cobas movement in the schools in 1991 self firmly as an alternative to the mission and complicity of the confederal and describes itself as an independent, lib- CIGL-CISL-UIL trio. It has a vertical or- unions. The CGIL, above all, stands ac- ertarian union, something which has been ganizational structure, with paid officers cused of throwing open the doors of Italy responsible for an appreciable growth and services for workers. It employs a dis- to neo-liberalism by supporting and facili- over recent years, particularly in the tinct syndicalist line, with no apparent tating the bosses and the centre-left gov- schools sector. It makes no ideological ideological interference. ernments without criticism, with the claims and has a horizontal organizational SLAI COBAS: This union exists above introduction of reforms and contracts structure. Having been, in the early ‘90s, a all within certain large industrial plants which only served to worsen the workers’ driving force for the aggregation of base where it practices highly radical policies conditions. The dissention which was unions, it is now going through a phase of and is able to win votes and seats in the un- widely expressed in all areas served to self-isolation due to differences with other ion representation elections in the work- strengthen the “base unions” at a local base unions who tend to exclude it. It is place. It is strongly biased towards the level, or within certain categories, but part of the SIL network and, together with communist left-wing, but autonomously there remained a weakness regarding with respect to the parliamentary left, global representation of the collective which was to result in a split which led to class interests. In recompense, the cobas the birth of the S.in.Cobas. Its original also spread to the factories - right to the statute foresees a horizontal structure. heart of the CGIL’s union power!! S.in.Cobas: A split from the SLAI guided However, the politico-syndicalist class by Rifondazione Comunista. It is active which was at the root of the various above all in certain factories and in local grassroots syndicalist organizations had administration, thanks also to its parlia- come from different ideological back- mentary connections. grounds and political choices, and soon Other base unions are active only within this resulted in competition between the certain categories, for example the base unions, each trying to assert their Or.S.A. and SULT in the transport sector hegemony within a certain sector or and SNaTeR in telecommunications. All among the few thousand workers that the so-called base unions, with the possi- they represented. There were various CGT-Spain, SUD-France and ble exception of the USI, found them- futile consultation pacts, there were cartels SUD-Switzerland it is working towards selves effectively forced to present which at times included all but at other the creation of a European federation of al- candidates at the union elections in the times excluded this one or that one; the ternative unions, the FESAL. workplace, with some even obtaining ex- CGIL (which supported the war in Confederazione COBAS: This is the cellent results. However, there is unfortu- Kosovo) was systematically demonized, Cobas that is most commonly seen in dem- nately no data available to allow us to but there was never any strategy of dia- onstrations and on TV, despite it only for- establish if the base union delegates have logue with its members or with its internal mally becoming a union quite recently. It been able to practice a proper relationship opposition. Grassroots syndicalism set it- is descended from the remains of the between delegate and workers, as one self up as an alternative to a CGIL which school cobas groups of the ‘80s and is still would expect of anti-bureaucratic was no longer viable, not even for reform- strongest in this area. It presents itself as a syndicalists, in respecting the mandates ism, but in the cobas galaxy everyone felt political, syndicalist and cultural entity, they have received from their workmates they were an alternative to everyone else which makes it seem something of a who have elected them. or imagined themselves to be a possible party-union-cultural association. This, in 2001-2003 pole of reference for the others. These fact, leads one to suppose that its members The victory of Berlusconi and his were the years when the opportunity was share not only a common labor strategy, lost to make a great step forward through a right-wing government in the elections but also a political and ideological line. has, for now at least, forced the CGIL into federative pact between the various orga- This characteristic together with its ten- nizations. taking on again a more combative role, dency to want to devour all around it, was given that its existence and legitimacy as The Grassroots Syndicalist Organiza- mainly responsible for the failure of the Italy’s biggest union is at stake. The return tions policy of trying to get “all the cobas into to militancy of the CGIL, with all the USI: Revived in 1978, it reached a certain one single union”. It enjoys great political weight of its organization - 5 million mem- consistency in the ‘90s, before it split into and media support among the Italian com- bers - has clearly placed a shadow over the two (following disagreement on union munist left wing, which also serves to grassroots unions who now seem to be practices), with a more syndicalist, open make it much more visible than the other more concerned with distancing them- wing and the more orthodox, ideological base unions, but also much more suscepti- selves from the CGIL than with looking to wing. The split was later sanctioned by the ble to the general political choices of par- build a vast mass movement against the IWA (AIT). USI-AIT today claims a his- ties such as Rifondazione Comunista or government. This was dramatically seen torical legitimacy as a revolutionary, structures like the Social Forums, one of on the occasion of recent strikes this au- anarcho-syndicalist union, which is lost to whose greatest exponents is in fact the tumn against the destruction of state pen- the collective memory, and seems to at- Confederazione COBAS leader. sions, with the aggravating factor of the tract workers who have already made a po- CUB: Federated with the RdB (which is appearance of further divisions between litical choice towards or strong in the civil service), the CUB is the the various base unions. . It considers its anti-war ac- largest grassroots confederation in Italy, The Anarchist Communist Strategy tivities to be central. The other USI, ex- with unions in several different categories. 15 Rebel Worker

As we have seen: anarcho-syndicalism is practiced as a can become a leadership of ideas in the - class unity has been broken on many oc- tendency/development/result of the unity definition of the objectives and forms of casions; and the revolutionary strength of the mass struggle within the mass organization or - representation of the class is today in the organization, and not as a foregoing re- organization in which they are members. hands of a whole series of unions each quirement. An anarcho-syndicalist mass This is what unites us as anarchist commu- claiming the title of mass workers’ organi- organization is not the most maximalist nists. This is what unites me with other zation, be it on the level of institution or at one, but the one which breaks the pattern members of my organization who are grassroots level: of reaching agreements, which creates members of a different union than mine. If, room for conflict, which seeks advanced, - the capacity of the proletariat to organize instead, we had to do all this from the start- practicable objectives and which uses di- ing point of the union we were members of itself in Councils seems to have exhausted rect democracy in its bargaining. itself with the changes in the organization or through a particular form of syndical- of labour or else been absorbed by the un- The same is true for revolutionary syndi- ism, we might perhaps be reduced only to ion bureaucracies; it is perhaps emerging calism. If a revolutionary syndicalist mass being a limited coordinating group of un- again today as a mutant, providing the organization is just that by reason of its ion activists seeking to protect our own lit- spark for countless protests against the members being ideologically revolution- tle union. confederal unions’ line and nursing the al- ary, then it does not matter which We choose the workers over any particular ternative and grassroots unions. anti-capitalist ideology they believe in and union. We choose the unity of the workers if revolutionary syndicalism is an a priori over any particular union. We support the But what about us? For us, mass organiza- component of this mass organization, then tions are the product of the capacity of the struggles of the workers for the defence of we fall back once again into ideologism. their interests, irrespective of the form or working class to organize its strength in The revolutionary level should not be the clash with capital in any given histori- union involved or of the type of syndical- measured by the revolutionary beliefs of ism involved, provided it can lead to an cal and socio-economic context irrespec- the members, by the maximalism of its tive of sex, religion, geographical origin or improvement in the living conditions of platform, by the harshness of its forms of the proletariat, and to the creation of freer ideology. Consequently, the unity of the struggle. It should refer to the capacity of mass organization comes from the ability spaces within society. And if, in these the mass organization to represent a credi- struggles and/or unions, we are able to of its objectives and its struggles to defend ble reference point for the workers - revo- the immediate (and historical) interests of bring our ideas, to influence through our lutionary or otherwise - in the defence of ideas, we will have contributed to the proletariat to be widely shared. Its rev- their interests. olutionary force comes not only and not so strengthening the autonomy of the work- much from the maximalism of its demands Without the history behind it of ers and promoting the role of of from the harshness of the struggle, but anarcho-syndicalism and revolutionary class-struggle anarchism. In other words, from its capacity to function according to a syndicalism, Italian grassroots syndical- we will have engaged in real revolutionary libertarian method of decision-making ism remains trapped between the radical- syndicalism, real anarcho-syndicalism, and responsibility. These two characteris- ism of its platforms and the need for real libertarian syndicalism, real... syndi- tics of the mass organization place the an- bargaining, between its criticism of calism. archist communists in a situation of bureaucratism and the inevitable forma- It is the material situation of labour which continual confrontation with the authori- tion of a leadership class - but always pro- determines the organizational possibilities tarian currents, who - both as far as objec- viding each tiny union survives. of one union over another, rather than our tives and struggles are concerned (the We anarchist communists place ourselves revolutionary wishes. It is the actual con- reformists and the trade unionists) and as wherever the class consciousness orga- dition of the relationships of power which far as control is concerned (the authoritar- nizes itself in any given historical period, widen the possibilities of radical syndical- ian communists) - try to weaken or erase in the forms laid out by the social conflict ism with a libertarian praxis, rather than the autonomy of the mass organization. and the subjectivity of the workers. We do our simply being anarchists. Anarchist communists know only too well not have any pre-defined boxes nor do we We are materialists, after all, aren’t we? that unity and revolutionary strength lie in follow any particular form of syndicalism: Well then, let the advanced elements and practices (struggles and organization) and the FORA in Argentina and the Spanish sectors of the working class who are part statutes. It is for this reason that we reject CNT, the IWW and the USI from the ‘10s of the internal opposition in the CGIL or in the conception of a mass organization to the ‘20s - can all provide useful teach- the many alternative unions be seen as an founded on spontaneism and on ings, as can the French Labour Exchanges, objective fact. Whether we like it or not. A ideologism. The former deprives the class the anarchist elements of the Italian CGdL strategy can be built on what is possible of the possibility to establish an organiza- in the ‘10s and ‘20s and the CGIL in the and not only on what is right. But radical tion over time and over wide areas while fifties. syndicalism based on a libertarian praxis the latter bases its unity on a shared ideol- However, over and above the defined cannot be achieved with the following ogy, thereby separating the workers and mass organizations, we must carefully three elements: breaking that unity which is the basis of watch the forms of self-organization of the - autonomy from party and political domi- the defence of class interests. working class in the workplaces and in the nation; We therefore believe that if a mass organi- community because that is where the mass - unity of the workers, reached through the zation declares itself to be organizations are built. There, where anar- definition of a general platform of radical anarcho-syndicalist, if it is composed only chist union activists are on the inside of syndicalism wherever and however it ap- of anarchists and is based on a shared an- that organized expression of the working pears; unity of objectives and methods of archist ideology, it falls within the concep- class, encouraging its growth. We also ob- struggle; tion of ideologism. It is of course a serve the evolution of capitalism and the working class answer to it, so that the ideas - revolutionary strength, through libertar- different matter if it is ian praxis in the internal organization of anarcho-syndicalism that characterizes of the anarchist communists, developed within our specific political organizations, whatever type of union; this applies the forms of struggle and the internal equally both when developing the general structure of the mass organization or its platform and during the phase of bargain- representatives, that is to say if ing. 16 Rebel Worker

The Syndicalist Tactics of Anarchist On a national level, it falls to anarchist un- - CGIL: Confederazione Generale Italiana Communists ion activists to ensure that it is possible to del Lavoro (General Italian Confederation The highest level of exploitation and con- federate class sectors, union activists and of Labour) frontation is found in the workplace and in the various grassroots unions on a plat- - CISL: Confederazione Italiana Sindacale the various sectors: this is where we need form within unavailable objectives and dei Lavoratori (Italian Syndical Workers’ to rebuild the unity of interests between principles regarding wages, work hours, Confederation) workers with different types of work con- rights, services and union democracy. - UIL: Unione Italiana Lavoratori (Italian tract and take back the right of decentral- It was for this reason that the FdCA Union of Workers) ized bargaining, safeguard the right to launched an Appeal to Anarchist and Lib- - COMU: COordinamento Macchinisti health, manage working hours in order to ertarian Union Activists in 2001, irrespec- Uniti (Co-ordination of United Engine be able to manage our lives, separate tive of the union they were members of, Drivers) wages from productivity and reject the which sought to co-ordinate their action blackmail of overtime. Coordinating (with full regard for the libertarian praxis - CIB UNICOBAS: Confederazione groups composed of rsu delegates from the of free agreement), and to “[...] enable the Italiana di Base UNIcobas (Italian Base various sectors, workers on permanent general union action in the wider struggle Confederation Unicobas) contracts and temporary contracts and mi- to become more efficient, to rebuild the - CUB: Confederazione Unitaria di Base grants could represent sound forms of co- unity of workers, to re-establish class soli- (Unitary Base Confederation) operation, unity and struggle. darity, to regain union democracy and au- - RdB: Rappresentanze Sindacali di Base Within the community, it is the task of an- tonomy with the aim of a more egalitarian, (Base Syndical Representation) archist communists to build spaces and sit- more libertarian society” (from the “Ap- - SLAI Cobas: Sindacato Lavoratori uations where we can promote peal to Anarchist and Libertarian Union Auto-organizzato Intercategoriale relationships and develop syndicalist the- Activists”, FdCA 2001). (Self-organized Inter-category Syndicate ory irrespective of union or party member- ======of Workers) ship. This is where we can see the richness Index of Acronyms: - S.in.Cobas: Sindacato Intercategoriale of the various union experiences, of - COBAS: COmitato di BASe (Base Com- Cobas (Inter-category Syndicate) self-managed organizations and unions, of mittee) - FULT: Federazione Unitaria Lavoratori those activists who pursue certain strug- - CGdL: Confederazione Generale del Trasporti (Unitary Federation of Trans- gles (both partial and more general) upon port Workers) which we can federate the workers from Lavoro (General Labour Confederation) - SNATER: Sindacato NAzionale different unions. Chambers of Labor con- - USI: Unione Sindacale Italiana (Italian TElecomunicazioni (National Telecom- necting the various unions, popular labor Syndical Union) munications Syndicate) forums, regional co-ordinating groups of - CGL: Confederazione Generale grassroots unions - these can all be places Lavoratori (General Confederation of ======where we can work towards the effective Workers) Special thanks to Nestor McNab (FdCA) defence of the class interests of all workers - CLN: Comitato di Liberazione for the English translation of this essay. and migrants. Nazionale (National Liberation Commit- tee)

archist movement in its books, articles etc, about early years. (The other very and his writings and finally a very lengthy Book Review Corner significant and extremely bibliography of Cafiero, which follows in interesting documents are chronological order. Something very use- the three so far published ful for researchers. Carlo Cafiero, Revolution (Black Cat Volumes of Nestor Makhno’s This historical and very important docu- Press, 2012) Memoirs, again for the first time provided ment represents one of the earliest at- to English readers and translated directly tempts at compiling a complete theoretical from the Russian, which we will hope- conception of anarchist . Until now only in Volume One of Anar- fully review in the next edition of “Rebel Carlo Cafiero was an important figure of chism: A Documentary History of Lib- Worker”). ertarian Ideas, by Robert the First International, an ally of Mikhail Carlo Cafiero’s “Revolution” is the first Bakunin and influential in the early Italian Graham, English readers interested in English translation from Italian by anarchist ideas and the movement were socialist movement. Federazuone dei Comunisti Anarchici We think it’s important to publish a brief able to read some of Carlo Cafiero’s (FdCA) member, Nestor McNab. thoughts on fundamental issues such as excerpt of Cafiero’s essay below: anarchism, communism and anarchist The book is very well structured. It con- “ – A World Without Borders: organisation. sists of almost 120 pages. It starts with a Anarchy and Communism Preface by the translator and editor Nestor This is because the editor of Volume I had McNab, where he tells us a little bit about Our revolutionary ideal is the age-old included excerpts from Carlo Cafiero’s the essay. It follows a very detailed histor- ideal of all those who refuse to resign 1880 speech to the Jura Federation in ical introduction by the historian of the themselves to oppression and exploita- Switzerland. Where he made the case for Italian working class movement, Pier tion; for us, as for our predecessors, it is anarchist communism. He later expanded Carlo Masini. Then the whole document summed up in two no less ancient terms: this historical speech into a lengthy es- by Cafiero, which covers 90% of the Freedom and Equality. say under the title “Revolution”. length of the book. “Revolution” consists As ancient as human servitude, that is to This essay has recently been translated by of Three Chapters with the titles “Revolu- say as humanity, this ideal has always had Nestor McNab and published by Black tion in a Natural Law”, “Our Revolution” a limited, partial application thanks to the Cat Press from Canada – which for gives and “Revolutionary Practice” respec- efforts of reactionaries, who in every age us another significant document of the an- tively. Then the editor provides a list of have hindered the revolution. However, 17 Rebel Worker despite all the past and reactions, it [the to embark on a diplomatic career. stroyed. Cafiero, in dialect, explained the ideal] has continued to spread and is Here, he first came into contact with athe- ideas of anarchism, freedom, justice and about to realize its most complete applica- ist ideas, through the Rationalist move- the new society without the State, without tion in our revolution. ment. At the beginning of 1870 he was in masters, servants, soldiers and owners. Having learnt from past history, which Paris, as guest of the painter Giuseppe De His proclamations even convinced the shows us the endless deceptions practised Nittis, a fellow townsman who described parish priest, who explained to his parish- by the reactionaries of every sort and ev- him as a “beautiful young man, fascinating ioners that the Internationalists were ‘the ery age in order to diminish, corrupt and to women”. He then went to London, true apostles sent by the Lord’. The fol- misrepresent the true value of freedom and where he matured, renouncing his diplo- lowing day, the village of Gallo was taken equality, that is to say of the revolution it- matic career, wealth and family to join the in a similar fashion. Unfortunately, as they self, we have been forewarned and now revolution and . Cafiero made were leaving Gallo the Internationalists place alongside the face value contact with Marx and were surprised and surrounded by govern- of these two oft-counterfeited Engels. ment troops and all were arrested. Held in coins the exact value that they He joined the International prison for over a year, before being truly have, in order that we Workingmen’s Association brought to trial, all the accused were even- may accept them as genuine. and was charged with win- tually acquitted in August 1878. These two precious coins must ning Italy over to Marx’s During his imprisonment, his contacts pay for the eternal redemption ideology, in a country with the International never ceased and of humanity and the transac- where workers were under Cafiero wrote his best-known work: A tion will never take place until the strong influence of the Compendium of Das Kapital, published in such times as the true value ex- of Giuseppe 1879 in Milan by the publishers of La actly matches their face value. Mazzini or in some places Plebe. The work was appreciated and Now, we express the true value the Anarchism of Mikhail praised even by Marx who found it supe- of freedom and equality with Bakunin. He re-formed the rior to other similar works. The Compen- the two terms, Anarchy and old branch of the Interna- dium was written in order to bring the Communism. tional in , with the theory of Capital to students, educated help of the young Errico workmen and small proprietors. In 1878, Consequently, we will not ac- Malatesta. There, during an assembly, he Cafiero, unable to return to Italy because cept as true any freedom that does not cor- was imprisoned for the first time. of Giovanni Passannante’s assassination respond exactly, that is not perfectly Cafiero spent over a year in Italy as a attempt on the King, which brought a identical and perfectly equal to anarchy — strong repression against republicans and anything else will be false and mendacious representative of Marx and Engels to hinder the influence of anarchism. internationalists, was living in Marseilles. for us; nor will we accept as true equality He was working as a cook and a docker. In anything that does not correspond exactly, However, thanks to the contact he had had with Giuseppe Fanelli, he passed October, he was arrested along with that is not perfectly identical and perfectly Malatesta, then released and deported equal to communism — any other pur- over to the other side of the barricade, siding with Bakunin and his Italian fol- from France. He went to Switzerland, ported equality will be false and menda- where he met Peter Kropotkin and, with cious for us. lowers. In early 1872 came the first issue of the the collaboration of Élisée Reclus, pro- So if freedom for us is anarchy and equal- moted the publication of the Bakunin’s es- ity is communism, then our revolutionary newspaper “La Campana” and Cafiero wrote for it, and gave money towards its say God and the State. Andrea Costa, who formula will be: (Revolution) = (Freedom had deserted the anarchist camp by pass- and Equality) (Anarchy and Communism). publication. In the same year he met Bakunin in Locarno (Switzerland) spend- ing over to legalitarian, parliamentary So- Anarchy and communism, like force and ing a month with him, discussing cialism, disappointed Cafiero who matter, are two terms which should form a Bakunin’s ideas and objections to what described him as “an apostate, a renegade single term, since they jointly express a Bakunin perceived as Marx and Engels’ of the revolutionary faith and the people”. single concept. authoritarianism, winning Cafiero in the After being arrested and soon released, in The submission of the proletarians, the end to his cause. In the summer of 1873, 1881, Cafiero went to London, where he vast majority of humanity, to the accumu- with the help of Cafiero, an old project was remained for a long time. There he was the lators of the materials and means of la- realised: to create an international centre victim of a strange illness which was ac- bour, a small minority, is the prime cause for the revolution in Italy and the world. companied by feelings of persecution; he of all oppression and exploitation, of all Cafiero, selling all his inherited lands, saw spies everywhere and was frightened inequality, despotism and human brutal- bought a farm in Switzerland where by the telephone, which had just appeared ity. The human community laying claim to Bakunin could live. This centre was called in the world. In March 1882, he returned to the materials and means of labour is a La Baronata, and it would also be a safe Italy, expressing a will to take part in the claim for the freedom and equality of all shelter for revolutionaries persecuted by imminent electoral campaign. On April 5 men. But guarding the treasure that has their respective governments. In 1875 he was arrested without any charge but, on been stolen from us lies the State with all Cafiero went to Milan and joined the edi- May 2, while imprisoned, he fell victim to its constituted authorities and its armed torial staff of the first socialist daily paper, a strong mental crisis and attempted to kill might, obstacles that we must throw down “La Plebe”, edited by Enrico Bignami. In himself. The scandal of a crazed man, im- if we are to have our goods returned to us. April 1877, Cafiero, Malatesta, prisoned without reason, exploded and And consequently, while the two terms of Ceccarelli, the Russian Stepniak and 30 Cafiero was released, but given a choice of our revolution are twins, anarchy is des- other comrades began an insurrection in living in Barletta, his home town, or exile tined to emerge from the womb first, to the province of Benevento. They took the to Switzerland. pave the way for communism.” village of Letino without a struggle where Emaciated and feverish, he chose exile in Carlo Cafiero (1846-1892) was born in they were greeted with great enthusiasm. Chiasso, where he again attempted sui- Barletta, in the Apulia region of southern Arms and expropriated goods were dis- cide. Emilio Bellerio took Cafiero to his Italy. In 1864 he moved to Naples, where tributed amongst the people, tax money house in Locarno and he got a degree in law. He then went to was returned and official documents de- wrote about him: “though his mind is ill, 18 Rebel Worker his heart is still healthy...”. In February in the second half of ’89. However, his ian anarchist theoretician and militant 1883 Cafiero left for Florence, where he brothers turned him away but, after living Errico Malatesta, wrote amongst the oth- was met by a friend. He immediately some time in a hotel, he was taken in by his ers, in a letter to Serafino Mazzotti: “Carlo headed for Fiesole, took rooms in an inn brother Pietrantonio. Cafiero’s mental was first of all great, for his inner nature, but then immediately fled into the woods, conditions improved, but one day, return- for this effective treasure, for the ingenu- where he was later found half-naked. After ing home, he saw a group of peasants eat- ousness of his faith. These memories must being aided by a doctor and the police he ing a piece of black, hard bread which not be lost. Even today there is the need to was transferred to the San Bonifacio psy- revived his revolutionary spirit and he en- elevate the moral level of anarchists, who chiatric hospital in Florence. Olimpia tered his house screaming against his fam- must react against the egoism and brutality Kutusoff, Cafiero’s wife, returned from ily. In 1891, following another crisis, that invade us, to return to unselfishness, Russia in September 1883 to look after Carlo Cafiero was confined in the psychi- to the sacrificial spirit, to the sentiment of him at the Imola psychiatric hospital, atric hospital in Nocera Inferiore, where love, of which Carlo was such a splendid where he had been transferred. Olimpia he died on Sunday 17 July 1892 of tuber- example”. left him after one and a half years because culosis at the age of 45. Dimitri Troaditis Cafiero was violent with her during his About Cafiero’s offering to anarchist (MACG, personal capacity) moments of crisis. Carlo expressed the thought and movement another great Ital- will to return to Barletta, where he arrived mentalist groups sparked a defeatism and pessimism. Moreover, Deserts, Anonymous, Melbourne 2011 wide debate in the radical envi- rapid global warming and overpopulation ronmentalist movement during means there is no hope for human civiliza- Review article by Graham Purchase the 1990’s. (For an extensive tion. Famine and dislocation will most analysis of the 1990’s environ- likely result in mass “human die-off” be- mental anarchist debate See my cause “There is No Global Future”. Faith Misanthropism, Biocentrism and Anarchism and Environmental Survival, in “green goo”, solar and hydrogen based Environmental Anti-Humanism: Black Cat Press, Edmonton, Alberta, energy systems is simply a delusion. 2011.) Human nature is fundamentally territo- Misanthropy is derived from the an- Pessimistic and Misanthropic Deserts: rial, hierarchical and exploitative. “Even cient Greek for “hatred” of “mankind”. These new forms of ecologically inspired in the slums…rooms are rented out by es- It describes someone who has a gener- misanthropy and anti-humanism attract tablished inhabitants to newer arriv- ally gloomy view of humanity. It can be adherents whom are optimistic that hu- als…in an exploitative relationship with compared with pessimism, though mis- manity will not survive the anthropocene. even poorer people.” (p. 48) The author anthropy is more particularly a pessi- With human extinction the planet, al- gloomily prophesizes that “Failed states mistic view of humanity. though it will have lost much of its former and Hot wars” will Balkanize the remain- Misanthropism has recently been appro- bio-diversity will freely evolve once ing or newly more fertile areas. Using the priated as a slogan by environmental again. A survivalist variant of this sce- collapse of the Yugoslavian state as a biocentrists, as well as nario is that a small model the author predicts that after their critics. Extreme number of human “civilizational dismemberment” a new biocentric perspectives, survivors of so- barbarianism will emerge based upon tra- see the planet and its life cial-ecological ditional regionalist nationalist identities forms as very much meltdown will rein- and engaged in brutal ethnic conflicts. The more important than hu- tegrate with nature warming of the poles will open “new fron- mans and their environ- by returning to a tiers” created by a “cold rush” for oil, gas mentally damaging stone-age mode of and newly habitable lands. Life on the new activities. existence in the ex- frontiers will be mostly characterized by panding deserts. “slavery”. But as in all frontiers there will Some environmental exist opportunities for autonomous liber- misanthropes go as far as Deserts (Anony- tarian countercultural groups at the pe- to welcome the extinc- mous, Melbourne 2011) is a very de- riphery or margins based upon sexuality, tion of our species gender, ethnicity etc. The author thinks through over-population pressing and highly disturbing anar- that such groupings will be transitory, or famines nothing more than “grass between the (neo-malthusianism). chist-survivalist rave. Deserts por- cracks” awaiting their inevitable destruc- For example, the tion by “weed-killer”. co-founder of trayal of contempo- Earth!First, Dave Fore- rary anarchism as Beyond the reach of the neo-barbarians man wrote an article in the Australian an atheist version of a doomsday cult is an and the brutality of the new frontiers, life-style magazine Simply Living, in extreme, but hardly isolated example of a “Survivors” of the “collapse of agricul- which he welcomed AIDS as a means of new low-point in (anarchist) political writ- ture” subsisting in the new desert wilder- getting rid of humanity in the name of ing. nesses created by global warming will planetary survival. This infamous direct Typical of so many post-2001 books adopt an “autonomous nomadic” lifestyle action environmental group which he then Deserts begins with an admission of gen- like that of the “African bushmen of the represented, has/had a columnist in their erational and personal disillusionment fol- Kalihari” based upon “foraging and herd- American paper writing under the pseud- lowing the failure of the anti-globalism ing”. onym of “Miss Ann Thropy” and openly circus at the turn of the 21st century. Like This appalling Hollywood-like mixture of sells a bumper sticker saying “Malthus every other member of this movement or Mad Max and 10,000 Years BC is some- was right”. Foreman’s remarks and simi- generation the author’s “optimism and how associated with anarchism by the au- lar sentiments by like-minded environ- drunk-like exuberance” has given way to t h o r . A p o c a l y p- S ee Page 20 19 Rebel Worker

Where we stand: A.S.N. DIRECTORY NEWS & NOTES 1.Our aim is to create a free and equal so- ciety ASN Sydney Local In this edition of RW, we provide coverage PO Box 92 of a new radical turn in the “Arab Spring” 2. We are a revolutionary labour move- Broadway 2007 NSW and in particular, the Egyptian Revolu- ment that uses as its only means of strug- tion. With the appearance of a sort of “Port gle, direct action in all its forms – Said” . Where organs of ASN Melbourne: occupations, strikes, boycotts, sabotage, etc. We are independent from all reformist self-management have mushroomed on J.Dixon and hierarchical unions and political par- the industrial and the community levels, [email protected] replacing state and corporate structures. ties, and we are creating an alternative to The mainstream media has of course these and to existing society. We do not blacked out completely, this inspiring de- Newcastle ASN seek to gain political power, but rather to velopment. (See article page 11.) PO Box 106 see it distributed amongst all. Kotara 2289 NSW. Public Transport in NSW, continues to be 3.We are a network of a major focus of the State’s orchestration Anarchist Media Institute anarcho-syndicalists practising of the tempo of the employer offensive. Its co-operation and mutual aid. We have an PO Box 20 equal part in the making of decisions. Re- latest development has been a move to im- Parkville Vic. 3052 pose bogus B.M.I. (Body Mass Index) re- sponsibilities within the network are sub- quirements on workers in RailCorp. The ject to agreement by the members. ALP Rightwing union hierarchy has of SPARKS course caved in completely to this attack. (Anarcho-Syndicalist Transport Paper) 4.We are engaged in struggle where we It poses a major threat to the jobs of many PO Box 92 Broadway work and where we live, to develop self workers and appears to be aimed at wiping 2007 NSW managed production, distribution and ser- out the older, more industrially experi- vicing for the world community, to meet enced layer. The ASN has been assisting Web site: http://www.sparksweb.org human needs rather than profit. We give militants to fight back against this new on- solidarity to others in these struggles. slaught. (See article page 3.) JURA BOOKS 440 Parramatta Rd 5.We are fighting to abolish all authoritar- Another important initiative of the Petersham 2049 NSW ian institutions such as the State (including O’Farrell Govt. in NSW, which has been Ph. (02) 95509931 its communist variety), capitalism, all hi- blacked out in the mainstream media in erarchical and oppressive divisions be- Sydney has been renewed moves to close tween people. SPARX the Newcastle Rail Line. O’Farrell’s de- DIRECT ACTION veloper business mates are heavily be- 6. We have no country and are organised FIRE FIGHTERS’ PAPER hind this push. (See article page 4.) on an international basis in opposition to [email protected] oppression everywhere. The ASN is striv- Help Build Rebel Worker! Your help is ing to build a viable revolutionary particularly sought with its distribution. WORKING CLASS UNITED syndicalist movement in Australia as part So why not order bulk copies to distribute. Http://workingclassunited of a world wide movement able to meet the Sell at your local shopping centre on Sat- Googlepages.com/home challenge of the global employer offen- urday morning, leave at the lunch room at sive. work and at your local café, library or cin- ema. Your assistance on the financial MEMBERS’ VOICE plane is also welcome. Grassroots NSW Public Transport Workers’ Organisation Web Site: Users.tpg.com.au/retepsni TO FIND OUT MORE /MembersVoice Email:membersvoice2010@ya- I would like more information about the hoo.com Anarcho-Syndicalist Network. Please REBEL WORKER send me information. Grassland Infoshop WEB SITE: 207B Nicholson St. Footscray Name ...... 3011 Vic. www.rebelworker.org Address...... General Secretary PO Box 106 Kotara 2289 NSW. If undeliverable, return to PO Box 92, Broadway NSW 2007

Continued From Page 18 tic-survivalis acteristically a utopian dream or futuristic t-primitivist vision of an ecologically sustainable and f a n t a s i e s civilized worker’s paradise based upon so- have no place in anarchism which is char- cial justice.

sponsibility and tactical and theo- alienation of bourgeois society and swept Beyond the : The Organisational retical unity. In the context of the into all manner of issues and campaigns Challenge for Anarchists By Andrew Flood post Berlin Wall Collapse scenario under the sun, like its more orthodox Le- published by Zabalaza Books he sees by this panacea the so ninist rivals. It would certainly be unable One important back drop and focus of called “anarchist movement” can to conduct the serious long range preci- the pamphlet is the anti-globalist move- grow to significant numbers. He sees this sion work in strategic sectors which can ment of the late 1990’s and early 21st failing to occur in this period, despite the slow down the employer offensive and Century, particularly associated with bankruptcy of rival authoritarian socialist turn the tide and facilitate the emergence capitalist summit protests. Another is formations. of large scale organisation on the job and the fall of the Berlin Wall and the asso- One problem with this remedy which the the transitional steps toward establishing ciated collapse of the state socialist bloc author proposes is the legacy of mass Sta- mass syndicalist unionism. Subsequently and the marginalisation and dissolution linism for 3-4 decades in 20th Century to leading to widespread interest in the revo- of Communist Parties and Trotskyist the left of social democratic formations lutionary project and interest in anarchism groups in many countries. when anarchist and other ultra left groups in the working class. (1) The acceleration of the employer offensive, associated Due to the decentralisation and were totally marginalised, with increased privatisation surges, the networks of affinity groups particularly in the Anglo roll back of the welfare state, increased character of the anti-globalist world. Consequently, de- state and employer surveillance, the inten- movement, it’s been seen as spite Leninist groups of vari- sification of the speed up and waves of having something to do with an- ous stripes being work restructuring on the job, etc , which archism by various commenta- marginalised today , there is a tors. The author fails hegemony in the Anglo has accompanied the collapse of the Berlin Wall and creates major obstacles to completely to examine the so- world for the unwholesome industrial organising is also not focused cial base of this movement, par- ways associated with Stalin- ticularly amongst students, ism e.g. hostility to freedom upon by the author. middle class layers and workers of discussion and debate, du- In conclusion, the author whilst being se- with high levels of autonomy in plicity, underhandedness, rious about finding a remedy for anar- their jobs and how this explains stacking of meetings, etc chism’s marginality in the Anglo world in its forms of action. The author within many groups which the post Berlin Wall collapse period, is un- is certainly correct to point out that its use the anarchist label. The author cer- able to effectively tackle the issue with the largely symbolic actions whilst disruptive tainly gives the impression he is oblivious panacea he presents. Whilst, his lack of of some international capitalist jamborees to this important issue. Combined with class struggle experience and research in in the Anglo-European world has been in- the above discussed social base of such part explains this inadequacy, another adequate in facilitating in anyway the groups with all their “oppression more decisive factor is that he sees the is- overthrow of the capitalist mode of pro- mongering” , guilt tripping, lack of experi- sue through the “prism” of the “Left Sub- duction. The author argues that those ence of the class struggle and the nefari- culture”. Its associated with the above identifying themselves as anarchists in- ous influence of the divisive and irrational social layers and enthusiasm for identity volved in these networks and no doubt “identity politics”, the creation of a large politics, oppression mongering and often pre-existing groups should merge to form formalised grouping or party will not in adopting unconsciously ways of the Sta- a sort of “anarchist party” on the lines of any way assist winning the vast majority linist legacy which influence many in to- the “Organisation Platform of the Liber- of the working class and sectors of the day’s so called anarchist milieus. tarian Communists”. This document was middle class and transitional sectors such Mark McGuire drawn up by Russian exile anarchists in as students to anarchism. (1) See “Anarcho-Syndicalism:Catalyst 1926, as a means to more effectively out Rather just another leftist sect or cult will for Workers’ Self-Organisation, Not Left- compete for influence with communist crystallise, providing another micro bu- ist Sect Building” in the archive section of parties in various arenas. Involving adher- reaucracy to massage and fight over by www.rebelworker.org for what this seri- ence to such principles as collective re- various “swell heads” , an escape from the ous long range work could look like.