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[A-Infos] (en) Report about I99-Conference (de)

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FAU-IAA OG Bremen 3

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Jun 18, 1999, 3:00:00 AM6/18/99

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A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
http://www.ainfos.ca/
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Preview from issue # 134 of the FAU-IWA paper
DIREKTE AKTION - anarchosyndikalistische Zeitung
Wittelsbacher Allee 45 - D-60316 Frankfurt/Main
Germany
E-Mail: da-...@fau.org
Web: http://www.fau.org
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I99 Conference in San Francisco
The revolution starts when the factionalism stops!

The International Solidarity-Conference '99 (I99) took place in San
Francisco from the 1st to the 6th of July '99 and was well attended with
about 100 participants from the USA (IWW, WSA, "Food not bombs" etc.),
Australia (ASG-M, IWW), Canada (IWW), France (CNT Vignoles), Switzerland
(Aussersieler Anarchisten, A-Infos), Sweden (SAC, SUF), Germany (FAU) and
Korea (KCTU). The NGWF from Bangladesh and the nigerian IWA-section, the
Awareness League, had also announced their participation. Sadly, neither
of the two delegates arrived at the place, last minute visa problems
probably thwarting their plans. Some other organisations stated their
support and solidarity but could not participate - for the most part due
to financial reasons.

Extensive topics were discussed in talks and workgroups. Besides "classic
syndicalist" questions such as youth organising in unions or direct action
as a means of union work the spectre of topics ranged from ecology and
workers movement over antifascism, the CIAs drug politics to reports about
work with homeless people and thus reflected the whole field where
anarchosyndicalist work can and must take place.

The WSA (Workers Solidarity Alliance, US-Section of the IWA) and the IWW
(Industrial Workers of the World) had set themselves an ambitious goal in
planning the I99-Conference: To bring together revolutionary syndicalist /
anarchosyndicalist organisations and groups with an international
conference for the first time in decades.

It was the declared aim of the project to get mutual communication,
exchange of experience and common activities going again. Because, as the
call for the event also stated: "The revolution starts when the
factionalism stops". This is based on the simple realization that people
join syndicalist unions to receive and practice solidarity from and with
others and not to wage wars against other workers. Especially at a time
such as today, when syndicalism in its various forms is finally winning
workers interest and international strength again, it is necessary to set
a workers movement against the transnationally operating companies and
structures such as the WHO, the IMF and the Worldbank which shows
solidarity and acts - in some points at least - co-operatively.

Thus, the aim of this conference which had been planned for over a year
and prepared outstandingly well was to bridge chasms, talk with each other
again at last rather than talking around or even against each other. And
despite all legitimite critique of the frequently unstructured
discussions, the mostly talk-oriented character of the events and the
partly lacking preparation of participants in workgroups (which isn't that
seldom in our congresses either ...) it must be respectfully stated in
conclusion: The aim was achieved! Not only was an impulse given to draw
the IWA from its political paralyzation and bring it back to a dialogue
with the anarchosyndicalist organisations outside the International. But
the conference also gave a feeling of a new beginning to the growing
numbers who see themselves as anarchosyndicalists within the SAC, the CNT
Vignoles and the IWW - despite encrusted structures and personal
hostilities within their own organisations.

While some of the organisations present at the conference are still rather
small propaganda organisations still on their way to becoming "real"
unions, such as the FAU or the WSA, others could present a considerable
extent of real syndicalist work. The CNT Vignoles with 1.400 members and
the US IWW with 1.800 members for example are in a process of rapid
growth. Both organisations are very active in the educational and the
public service sectors among other areas. What they and the SAC have in
common despite all differences is the fact that they are known among
workers, that they are not leading a secluded life in the Ghetto but stand
for struggling, radical union work. They are simply being viewed as unions
in which everyone is welcome to fight for her/his rights (and those of
other workers of course) and this is what seems to make them attractive
for more and more working people. In this way the IWW for instance is in
close contact with the current labour struggles in the USA, whether these
be lead by IWW-members or workers organised no- or elsewhere. Practical
support and solidarity is natural here and in turn, ones own organisation
becomes better known and the trust in its ability grows. Such has been the
case with the newly founded couriers union in San Francisco but also with
a strike of steel workers from "Kaisers Alumnium", who reported about
their struggle with a delegation at the congress (see seperate article).

This need for practical, mutual solidarity was the central theme in all
conversations and discussions of the conference. Whether from the striking
steel workers or the successful example of the struggle of workers in the
peepshow "Lusty Lady Shop" in San Francisco - successful organising and
ideas for activity were received gratefully for ones own use. Several
ideas for mutual support - be it in organising a union group in a company
or against the planned protests against the WHO summit in Seattly in
November 1999 - were discussed lively and will surely be further developed
and realized after the conference.

The participants in the conference were united by the feeling "Hey,
something is happening here!" - and that is exactly what our movement
needs. Instead of endless discussions about whether the others agree 100%
and in every detail with ones own definition of anarchosyndicalism,
nothing is more necessary than communication and common action. The
demonstration against the European Summit in Cologne and the I99-
Conference prove that it is time for a new generation in the syndicalist
movement to burry the conflicts of the past and simply carry out practical
(international) solidarity. It may sound trite but there is a lot of power
to be gained if we really support each other in future actions and
campaigns rather than engaging in trench warfare. There is no need for a
new International as rival of the IWA to do that. All speculations which
declared this the real aim of the conference have been proven to be
pure nonesense. What the participants of the conference want is nothing
but a bit more mutual tolerance and support.

Let's start right now!

Hobbes

An detailed documentation of the conference is being put together.
You can find the latest state on the I99-webpage
http://www.iww.org/~intl99

The conference reader can be ordered per e-mail at
<int...@iww.org>, or, per regular mail at:
I99 Komitee: c/o San Francisco IWW, P.O. Box 40485, San Francisco
CA, 94140, USA:

[Translation: R./FAU-IAA Bremen]

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