by Indymedia
Anarcho-syndicalists and revolutionary unionists from all over the world met in Paris from April 28 to May 1 2007 for the third International Solidarity Conference. Following the conferences of San Francisco (i99) and Essen, Germany (i02), the I-07 took place with the goal of starting to build links between different organizations and unite workers of different countries, to struggle and take action through organizing international solidarity. I-07 was organized by the French National Confederation of Labor (CNT-F, independent).
The weekend included discussions and debates in various union meetings (eg. 'Revolutionary syndicalism, anarchosyndicalism and institutions', 'Precarity at work'), branch meetings (building industry, education etc.) and thematic discussions (eg. 'Struggle against imperialism and neo-colonialism', 'Migration'). An open international meeting on April 30 brought hundreds of people together at Place de la reunion. Speakers from Siberia, Guinea, Atenco and Palestine reported on their current struggles. 'Le Choeur du Peuple' (the people's choir) performed songs from the Paris Commune and a song about the famous Ukrainian anarchist Nestor Makhno (he is buried just around the corner in the Pčre-Lachaise Cemetery).
The CNT-F organized a fantastic cultural program too with several concerts taking place over the weekend at the CNT's local and other places in Paris. The International Workers Association
The Congress of the anarcho-syndicalist International Workers Association (international network of anarcho-syndicalist unions and organizations, such as the National Confederation of Labor (CNT) in Spain or Regional Workers Federation (FORA) in Argentina), took place in December 2006 in Manchester, United Kingdom. The Congress decided that the Secretariat of the IWA will be maintained, until the Brazil congress at the end of 2008, by the Serbian section Union Confederation "Anarcho-Syndicalist initiative" (A.S.I.)
The first circular of the new Secretariat declared that, among other goals, one of the primary tasks is the" Strengthening of communicational and administrative infrastructure of the International". This will consist of using various electronic methods of communication and transfer to new electronic methods and extended usage of internet. This will result with speeding up of the exchange of information's and thus response time to urgent actions.
During the transition of administrative functions from Norway to Serbia, IWA Sections and Friends maintained their engagement in the struggle against the State and capitalism. Apart from a joint IWA campaign against unstable work, in which all IWA sections, from Spain to Serbia, and from Norway to UK participated in, during the last two weeks of April including the First of May demonstrations, different IWA sections were involved in their local struggles.
ASI's education union continued it's involvement in the massive student uprising against tuition fees. This resulted in several main Belgrade faculties being blocked for different periods, and a wake-up of the progressive segments of Serbian youth. CNT members in Spain continued their involvement in numerous conflicts, including the longstanding fight against the Mercadona food distributor. Members of the German Free Workers Union (FAU) were involved with struggle against the management of the large hospital near Hanover, while Czech members physically clashed with neo-nazis several times in period before, and on the First of May demonstrations.
CLS (AIT-IWA)
Poštanski pretinac 6,
11077 Beograd, SERBIA
E-mail: secretariado@iwa-ait.org
Web: www.iwa-ait.org