International Workers of the World

This is the official web-page of the International Workers of the World, IWW/AI - affiliated to the IFA - L'Internationale des Fédérations Anarchistes - The International of the Federations of Anarchists - The International of Anarchist Federations (IAF) and the Anarchist International (AI). For the history of IWW/AI in general, see link to the history of IFA/IAF/AI, at "Links" below. The Confederation consists of anarchosyndicalists in the Anarchist Federations of Denmark, Finland, Norway, Finland, and in several other countries of the Anarchist International broadly defined, from Iceland to the New Artisan and Workers' Union in Mauritius (click on: NAWU ), etc. i.e. world wide.

This section of the Anarchist International was founded/reorganized at the The First Nordic Anarchist Congress 15-17 october 1982 in Oslo, and further developed at later congresses, and it is rooted back to the in Geneva 1886 founded 1st International's i.e. the IWMA - International Workingmen's Association's conference at Saint-Imier, in The Swiss Confederation, 15-16.09.1872. At this conference it was decided an anarchist resolution denouncing all forms of political power, i.e. political/administrative and economically broadly defined. Also a solidarity and fellowship pact was decided upon by the delegates. The resolution put forward by Michael Bakunin 16.09.1872, under the title "The political action of the proletariate", at the Saint-Imier congress, should not be forgotten. The Anarchist International had meetings several times during the years passing by, first within the framework of the IWMA 1872-77, later related to other international anarchist congresses.

Bakunin's famous word of wisdom: "Liberty without socialism is privilege, injustice; socialism without liberty is slavery and brutality", is still valid. Another important event in the international anarchist and labor movement's history is the "Haymarket affair" related to the Chicago anarchists in 1886, the backround and origin of May Day as the international workers' day, see May day .

The Anarchist International (IFA) was reorganized at a congress in Carrara (Italy) 31/8-5/9 1968. The purpose of the congress was, among other things, to create a world wide anarchist organization as an alternative to "Cohn Bendit et autres gauchistes", also called "the children of Marx". Anarchists were tired of people presenting basically marxist or marxian ideas as anarchism. In the following years, several congresses were organized, see the History of the Anarchist International IFA/AI .

The anarchosyndicalist branch was as indicated above officially confirmed as a section of the Anarchist International at the IFA-congress in Oslo 1982, deciding a.o.t. the following: "El principal tema de este congreso ha sido la cooperación anarquista nórdica. El acuerdo se ha hecho sobre la aceptación de una cooperación muy ampllia. La cooperación ideológica [i.e. political] económica y cultural ha sido enfocada sobre los ountos siguientes: la acción de los anarquistas en los sindicatos, el movimiento colectivista, cooperativista, el movimiento ecologista, feminista, el apoyo a los jovenes..." This is a.o.t. documented in the Bulletin C.R.I.F.A. no 42 novembre 1982 p. 4. , plus Folkebladet No 4/1983 and IFA-Solidaritet No 8/1983. The Anarchist Manifesto ISBN 82-90468-09-1 of the Northern sections of IFA published in 1983, confirms the branch of "anarko-syndikalister (fagbevegelse), i.e. anarcho-syndicalists (labor confederation/movement)" within the general program.

The anarchosyndicalist section was later expanded universally when the Anarchist International world wide was officially confirmed at the International Anarchist Congress in Oslo medio December 1998 and later.

In 1997 the term Anarchist International (AI) was officially introduced, although mentioned several times before, say, in International Journal of Anarchism, IJ@ no 10/26 (15) in 1985. The constitution of the Anarchist International AI was as mentioned officially confirmed on the International Anarchist Congress, i.e. the 5th Anarchist Biennial, arranged by the NAC/IFA/AI in Oslo medio December 1998. The AI is a broader organization and network than the IFA anarchist federations of some countries in the South and North, see the Anarchist International .

The International Journal of Anarchism, IJ@, is the only officially mandated and publicly registered organ of the Anarchist International AI-IFA-IAF, the IWW/AI included. There are sections/federations for support work, community action, research and different tendencies of anarchism broadly defined, among them as mentioned the anarchosyndicalist section International Workers of the World - IWW/AI.

The IWW/AI, i.e. the Anarchist International-WW must not be mixed up with the Industrial-WW, founded in 1905 in the USA. The Industrial-WW is mainly a leftist marxist/marxian* organization, neither anarchist, libertarian nor anarchosyndicalist, i.e. outside the anarchist quadrant on the Economical Political map, see System theory and economic-political map .

The IWW/AI forms a junction between the Anarchist International in general, and the general syndicalist and trade unions world wide.

The network of the IWW/AI broadly defined is usually just called the INTERNATIONAL.

IWW/AI promotes anarchosyndicalism, anarchism; decentralism, free contracts, federalism and real democracy etc. as opposed to statism, centralism, slave-contracts and other authoritarian tendencies in the unions and generally, see the Oslo Convention and www.anarchy.no all around.

Especially IWW/AI works for 1. Citizen remuneration above the powerty line. 2. A significant higher minimal salary - it must pay to work! The purpose of this is to do away with relative slave-contracts in the different countries, i.e. "wage slavery". Furthermore IWW/AI is for 3. unconditional support to free research from the people's perspective as opposed to the national or authorities' perspective, based on the non-dogmatic, non-dialectical, scientifical method suggested in Peter Kropotkin's "Modern Science and anarchism" (1903-13), i.e. the hypothetical deductive method. Thus, also the left-Hegelian dialectical ideas of, say, Bakunin and Max Stirner, and later Daniel Guerin, Sam Dolgoff and Murray Bookchin, must principally be rejected as pseudoscience, similar to Marx and his followers' ideology. Also central theorems in marxist economics are not compatible with the hypothetical deductive method, and thus are pseudoscience.

IWW/AI works against 4. party political and state-socialist rule of unions, and 5. support to political parties from the budgets of the unions.

This is the general program of IWW/AI. There are however also some other cases that may be mentioned:

IWW/AI is also against the "all workers - one big union" strategy of the Industrial-WW and others, that reminds us of the Soviet Union, and their intrigues, lies and smearstories related to Jamal Hannah & co at jah@iww.org against the Anarchist International and its sections, similar to Marx's intrigues etc. against Bakunin in the First International. There is not so much new under the sun! Nobody should link up to this student commie type joke of an "industrial union" nor take it seriously. Boycott "Industrial-WW" in America!

There are also other marxist groups and fascists/neonazis posing as "anarchosyndicalists", "anarchobolsheviks", "anarchonationalists", "revolutionary syndicalists" etc., see the Anarchist Press Tribunal IAT-APT for an update. Say, in Sweden 1999 a real anarchosyndicalist Björn Söderberg of SAC was killed by two nazis, after trying to stop the fascist infiltration in a union-club. 23.10.1999 about 20-40000 persons all over Sweden demonstrated against fascism and to honor the memory of the brave syndicalist.

At the Anarchist Conference in Stockholm, arranged by the Nordic IFA secretariate and the Swedish section of the Anarchist International, in 1983, neonazi skinheads tried to infiltrate the movement, but strong measures were taken to stop these dangerous intruders. These efforts of the Anarchist International were however a good investment.... Our fellows at SAC have, as mentioned, been less successful dealing with this problem.

The IWW/AI calls on all anarchists, anarchosyndicalists included, to be on the alert against authoritarian infiltration: Fascists, nazists, trotskyites, lubbeists, red brigades, etc. - and ochlarchists (ochlarchy = mob rule broadly defined). A stitch in time saves nine - better look before you leap, i.e. organizations ruined, persons being wounded or be killed:

"The fight against fascism begins with the fight against bolshevism"
- Otto Rühle -

Click on Links to see some federations related to the IWW/AI network broadly defined, i.e. organizations with significant factions of anarchosyndicalists. There are however more!
There are no unions without anarchists, click on:
http://www.anarchy.no/global.html

IWW backs the general strike in Greece 24.02.2010 and the fight against the unenlightened plutarchy in general

IWW backs the general strike in Greece 24.02.2010, see the situation in Greece for more information. This Web-site about the situation in Greece is often updated. The IWW also adopts the resolutions of the World Economic Council regarding the fight against the unenlightened plutarchy in USA, the Euro-zone including Greece, and world wide, see the WEC , and calls on all syndicalists to do the same. Workers of the world! Unite and fight the unenlightened plutarchy world wide! Later... there are many new strikes and demonstrations in Greece, also general strikes. In general, the International Workers of the World and the anarchists at large support the strikes and demonstrations, as long as they are direct actions , i.e. without ochlarchy.

A wave of strikes and demonstrations directed against the unenlightened plutarchy are - and will be - happening all over Europe and more. These strikes and demonstrations, i.e. direct actions, are in general backed by the International Workers of the World.

French air traffic controllers went on strike Tuesday 23.02.2010 as labor unrest continued to roll across Europe despite the suspension of a strike by Lufthansa pilots after just one day. The action comes a day after German-based Lufthansa and its pilots' union agreed to suspend its standoff and return to the bargaining table. The suspension will expire on March 8, barring an agreement before then, both sides said in a Frankfurt labor court.

On Monday British Airways cabin crew voted to strike, although no dates were announced. A planned 12-day walkout by Unite, the union which represents the workers, during the Christmas holidays was blocked by a judge. Unite said it is continuing negotiations with the airline. Like Lufthansa pilots, British Airways staff are concerned about wages and job security as larger, older airlines deal with the twin blows of the global recession and increased competition from low-cost carriers. "These are not mindless militants looking to bring the company down, these are ordinary, decent people who do a highly professional job, and very evidently they have a deep set of grievances," Len McCluskey, assistant general secretary of Unite said.

Airline industry: Strike, strike, everywhere a strike... European airlines were not the only ones hurting. Japan Airlines de-listed its shares from trading in Tokyo Saturday as part of its bankruptcy restructuring. And in Australia, Qantas Airlines announced this week it would eliminate first class travel from its flights. Industry watchers expect to see more industrial actions at airlines across the world. Beyond the airline industry, other labor disputes are spilling into industrial action in Europe.

French gas giant Total said about 100 of 4,000 gas stations in the country are beginning to run out of fuel as a strike by oil refinery workers enters a second week. However on Wednesday the strike ended after workers at all but one of the oil refining plants voted to halt their walkout. Workers at five of oil giant Total SA's French refineries that had been striking since last week voted in separate ballots to go back to work. A sixth refinery, near Dunkirk in northern France, will remain shut until a scheduled meeting with management over the refinery's future on March 8. The walkout had been sparked last week by concerns about Total's plan to convert the Dunkirk refinery for other uses, as well as about as the future of refining in general. The oil company pledged Tuesday to neither close nor sell other plants in France for the next five years.

And in Spain, labor confederations, including the anarchosyndicalist CGT, protested on Tuesday 23.02.2010 against a government plan to raise the retirement age from 65 to 67. Thousands of workers protested in Spain's major cities against government spending cuts and the plans to raise the retirement age. The rallies were the first mass labor protests in the six years of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's Socialist government. Spain is a major industrial economy still in recession and has one of the European Union's highest unemployment rates, of about 19 percent. For workers under 25, the jobless rate is about 40 percent, the government reports. The government plan to raise the retirement age to 67 aims to prevent, in the coming decades, the pension system from going bust, as Spaniards live longer and collect retirement benefits for longer periods, with a projected declining number of workers paying in to the social security system, government officials have said publicly in recent weeks.

Portuguese civil servants walked off their jobs on Thursday 04.03.2010, hoping to close schools, courts and hospitals in a protest strike against austerity measures imposed by the so called Socialist government. The strike was the biggest in years in Portugal and will test the minority government, which has been pressed by financial markets to cut spending after Greece's fiscal crisis turned the focus on weak euro zone members. Portugal's unions say they have had years of worsening conditions as public pensions and other benefits were cut by the government, which this year froze public wages in its effort to win investor confidence by cutting the budget deficit.

"There is immense discontent which you can see in the way workers behave," said Manuel Carvalho da Silva, leader of the 725,000-strong General Confederation of Portuguese Workers. The Iberian country of 10 million people is slowly, too slowly, recovering from its worst economic downturn in decades and unemployment, at 10 percent, is the highest in a quarter of a century. The strike, which comes on the heels of industrial action in Spain and Greece, raises pressure on the government just as it prepares a long-term budget plan to cut the budget deficit to below 3 percent of gross domestic product by 2013. Portuguese unions have threatened more strikes if the government extends the freeze on civil servant wages beyond this year -- something which has been under consideration.

The AI, IWW and ACLA condemn the murder of syndicalist Pedro Antonio García in Guatemala

The murder took place as Pedro Antonio García was on his way home in Malacatán. For the past year, municipal workers have suffered serious breaches of syndicalist organization's freedom and labor rights. These abuses were committed by the State of Guatemala, in its capacity as their employer. The syndicalist organized employees of the municipality of Malacatán, with spokesperson Pedro Antonio García, organized actions on 5 and 6 January 2010 to demand the payment of salaries owed to them from 2009, compliance with the collective agreement and payment of other benefits.

In this resolution, sent as e-mail to the Guatemalan authorities, anarchists and syndicalists, newsmedia, etc. world wide and also published at the IWW website - AI, IWW and ACLA call on President Álvaro Colom to take urgent measures to find and punish the perpetrators of the crime and do his utmost to ensure that human, labor and syndicalist organization's rights are respected in his country. The government must also make all state aid to the municipal administrations subject to full observance of the ILO's fundamental conventions, which were ratified by Guatemala.

Alarming increase in anti-syndicalist violence: AI, IWW and ACLA are seriously concerned at the alarming increase in anti-union violence seen in Guatemala since the year 2007. The poaching of members and the rise of "parallel" "labor" confederations aimed at dividing the labor movement, robbing it of its independence and making it serve the interests of the government rather than the genuine interests and needs of Guatemala's workers, are a cause for grave concern, together with the recurrent violence against syndicalists.

AI, IWW and ACLA call for direct actions and other actions against the State of Guatemala, and for a movement of the economic-political system of the country in libertarian direction, i.e. towards significant socialism and autonomy = Anarchy! 10.02.2010

The world is facing its gravest economic crisis in over 60 years. Tens of millions of jobs are being lost due to the greed, plunder and incompetence which have, through decades of "free" market deregulation, led the world into deep recession. Global poverty and inequality are increasing fast, and working women and men everywhere face levels of insecurity unprecedented in recent times.

We accept no leaders of the world, be it USA, Russia, EU or China. However guidance is a must. Look to the three anarchist, the only real democratic, countries of the world, Norway, Switzerland and Iceland, guided by a.o.t. the International Workers of the World, the Anarchist International, AI, and the International Institute For Organization Research, IIFOR. They will probably be the first to solve the economic recession problem, balancing 1) Total demand nominally = (Price level)(Labor productivity)(Total labor force). Where 2) Total demand nominally = Public and private consumption + Public and private real investment + Export - Import, 3) Price level = (1 + Inflation %/100) and Labor productivity is national product volume per employed, averagely, and inflation is measured by the price index for the national product. How to achieve this aim? Read A SHORT NOTE ON THE GENERAL THEORY OF ANARCHIST ECONOMICS: http://www.anarchy.no/aneco1.html . The traditional Keynes type countercyclal monetary and fiscal policy measures, may not be sufficient to solve the problem. Measures to lower inflation and to achieve a modest increase in labor productivity, taking into account green economics, should also be introduced, etc. For the world seen all in all Export - Import = 0, thus protectionism must be avoided. Anarchies have the best conditions to do proper demand management. The other most libertarian countries should follow them in coordinate efforts to solve the recession problem. The rest of the world should also join in. The sooner the better! Proper demand management now!!!

THE 25 HIGHEST RANKING COUNTRIES ACCORDING TO LIBERTARIAN DEGREE ETC.
SYSTEM ANALYSIS

Countries:	Rank of country according to libertarian degree, and type of system	Libertarian degree and (authoritarian degree) %	Degree of socialism and (capitalism) %	Degree of autonomy and (statism) %	Gini-index
Norway	1 Anarchy	54,0 (46,0)	55,0 (45.0)	53,2 (46,8)	25,8
Switzerland	2 Anarchy	53,0 (47,0)	51,0 (49,0)	55,1 (44,9)	33,1
Iceland	3 Anarchy	52,0 (48,0)	54,0 (46,0)	50,1 (49,9)	25,0 (est.)
Liechtenstein	4 Soc.dem.	49,5 (50,5)	51,4 (48,6)	47,7 (52,3)	32,0 (est.)
Luxembourg	5 Soc.dem.	49,2 (50,8)	52,1 (47,9)	46,5 (53,5)	30,8
Denmark	6 Soc.dem.	48,8 (51,2)	55,3 (44,7)	43,0 (57,0)	24,7
Japan	7 Soc.dem.	48,5 (51,5)	55,2 (44,8)	42,6 (57,4)	24,9
Belgium	8 Soc.dem.	48,2 (51,8)	54,0 (46,0)	43,0 (57,0)	25,0
Finland	9 Soc.dem.	47,9 (52,1)	53,8 (46,2)	42,6 (57,4)	26,9
Sweden	10 Soc.dem.	47,5 (52,5)	54,0 (46,0)	41,7 (58,3)	25,0
Netherlands	11 Soc.dem.	47,2 (52,8)	52,0 (48,0)	42,8 (57,2)	30,9
Canada	12 Soc.dem.	46,8 (53,2)	50,9 (49,1)	43,0 (57,0)	33,1
Austria	13 Soc.dem.	46,5 (53,5)	52,1 (47,9)	41,4 (58,6)	30,0
Ireland	14 Populist	46,2 (53,8)	45,0 (55,0)	47,4 (52,6)	35,9
Germany	15 Soc.dem.	45,9 (54,1)	53,0 (47,0)	39,6 (60,4)	28,3
Spain	16 Soc.dem.	45,5 (54,5)	51,5 (48,5)	40,1 (59,9)	32,5
Australia	17 Populist	45,0 (55,0)	48,0 (52,0)	42,2 (57,8)	35,2
United King.	18 Populist	44,5 (55,5)	44,7 (55,3)	44,3 (55,7)	36.0
New Zealand	19 Populist	44,0 (56,0)	44,6 (55,4)	42,4 (57,6)	36,2
France	20 Soc.dem.	43,5 (56,5)	51,4 (48,6)	36,6 (63,4)	32,7
Italy	21 Populist	43,0 (57,0)	44,7 (55,3)	41,3 (58,7)	36,0
USA	22 Cons. lib.	42,5 (57,5)	24,5 (75,5)	69,8 (30,2)	40,8
Israel	23 Populist	42,3 (57,7)	47,8 (52,2)	37,3 (62,7)	35,5
Hong Kong	24 Cons. lib.	42,1 ( 57,9)	22,1 (77,9)	74,8 (25,2)	43,4
Greece	25 Populist	42,0 (58,0)	47,9 (52,1)	36,6 (63,4)	35,4

The estimates are approximately figures. © IIFOR/IJA ISSN 0800 – 0220 2007 and later.
Anarchy = here social-individualist anarchism; Soc. dem. = social democrat marxism; Populist = here moderate parliamentarian democratic fascism; Cons. lib. = Conservative liberalism. See economic-political map. Ranking of countries according to libertarian degree, estimates of the libertarian degree in general, and information on methodology, see http://www.anarchy.no/ranking.html and http://www.anarchy.no/a_e_p_m.html . For the libertarian vs authoritarian, capitalist vs socialist and statism vs autonomy degree we have used " , ", the European standard instead of American/UK standard, i.e. " . " as decimal separator. For other figures on www.anarchy.no we have usually used the American/UK standard. The term "ca" is an abbreviation for the latin circa, which means about or approximately.

*) The stars indicate the position of the Norwegian economical-political system after the revolutionary change in 1994/95. Read more about the anarchist velvet revolutionary change in 1994/95 and the development afterwards at http://www.anarchy.no/a_nor.html and http://www.anarchy.no/ija1994-96.html

The International Workers of the World, the AI and IIFOR demand far-reaching, urgent and coordinated actions to pull the world out of recession. Public sectors must act to keep the working class broadly defined, i.e. the grassroots, the people, seen as a class in contrast to the superiors economically and/or political/administrative, in work and create new jobs, to avoid an even deeper and longer-lasting crisis. These actions are essential, but alone they are not sufficient.

We demand nothing less than a full-scale transformation of the world economy. A new global economy is required, which is built on the anarchist principle of social justice and the other anarchist principles and which:

• Is based on effective, real democratic and accountable global management, self management - autogestion - which puts the needs of the people first;

• Ensures strong financial regulation, putting finance at the service of the real economy and the real economy at the service of people;

• Guarantees respect for the rights of all working people and puts an end to poverty, inequality, discrimination, repression and exploitation; and,

Public sectors have the responsibility and the possibility to build the new global economy. The trade union movement and civil society in general, including the anarchists, will press forward the demand for public sectors to fulfill this responsibility, and insist on full involvement at every level in making it a reality.

We will not accept a return to the politics of greed, which allowed a tiny elite to amass vast wealth at the expense of the many, robbing workers of their dignity and security. Central to this is restoring the role of public sector in regulating the private sector and ensuring public provision to meet fundamental social needs. Decades of "free"-market ideology have weakened the essential functions of public sector as regulator and provider, with the IMF and the World Bank playing a major role in ensuring that public sectors comply with that discredited ideology. These institutions have now been given huge responsibilities and resources to combat the recession. Their structures and their policies, and those of the WTO, must be changed dramatically in order for the new global economy to be possible. Direct actions etc. are means to achieve this aim.

The central role of decent work in the new global economy must be fully realised. It is essential to meeting the needs and aspirations of people everywhere, and is the only sustainable way to restore demand for goods and services. The rights to organize and bargain collectively are central to maintaining and improving living standards and to stimulating growth. We call upon world's mandated persons to agree urgently on a Global Jobs Pact to deliver decent work, and we insist that the ILO be placed at the heart of the management of the world economy.

The removal of rules for managing banking and finance has been the biggest single cause of the crisis. Strong regulations are required. But in a global economy, no country can properly regulate in isolation, nor can any country alone stop taxpayers being cheated by the vast flow of money into tax havens. Public sectors have to work together to design the new rules and put them into place, and they must do this without delay.

The world's mandated persons have come together many times to pledge to defeat poverty and hunger, to promise development and guarantee that fundamental rights at work and in society would be respected. Yet the economic system they built ensured that many of the pledges they made would remain just words, while the crisis today is being used as yet another excuse to strip working people of their rights and entitlements. The new global economy must support, not undermine, the timeless and universal rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, interpreted in a libertarian way, see http://www.anarchy.no/anrights.html , and the ILO core labor standards.

Time is running out to save the planet from the ravages of climate change. The new global economy must be a green economy, where high-carbon jobs are transformed into low-carbon jobs, and where investment in this transformation and the creation of new green jobs is assured. The world community must agree this year, at the Copenhagen Climate Summit, to far-reaching measures to cut emissions, build green infrastructure and jobs and ensure that the transition to the green economy is efficient, just and fair.

The world's biggest economies, at the G20 Summit in London, responding to direct actions, opened the possibility for work on the new global economy to begin. They agreed that jobs are central to recovery, and that there must be new regulations, global cooperation and reform. They committed to work on a Charter for Sustainable Globalization, which could become a guide for the kind of world economy which working people demand. But these are still no more than the first few steps along the necessary path.

The trade unions of the world, including the International Workers of the World, and civil society in general - including the anarchists - will carry forward our quest for the new global economy. Building on our firm traditions of global solidarity, our capacity to mobilize for change and our determination to hold decision-makers to account for their actions, we will pursue our agenda for change with public sectors, at the UN and the G20 and in every other place that matters.

From the ruins of the crisis, a new era of prosperity, equality, real democracy and peace must arise. We proclaim our continued resolve to bring this new sustainable era into being, and to oppose, with every libertarian means at our disposal, those who stand in its way.

May Day 2009 was honored worldwide with millions of people who took to the streets and whose main slogans focused on better labor relations, the combating of unemployment and poverty.

The Anarchist International protests against the sacking of CNT's Juan R. Dominguez at Magma Tratamientos SLU- Spain. He must immediately get his job back!

L. Jakobsen - International Workers of the World, affiliated to AI
H. Fagerhus - International Journal of Anarchism
A. Quist - The Anarchist International
07.10.2008

Nos hemos enterado hoy mismo. Juan R. Dominguez, delegado sindical de la sección sindical de CNT en la empresa Magma Tratamientos SLU ha sido despedido de su puesto de trabajo como camionero y emprendemos acciones de lucha. De momento pedimos faxes de solidaridad, correos electronicos y el miércoles en asamblea estudiaremos emprender más acciones.

Juan R
Responsable de la Web del S.O.V de C.N.T. Sagunto
Adherida a la A.I .T. (Internacional Revolucionaria)
Valencia – España

La presente es para agradecer las muestras de apoyo
Por el envió de faxes y corros electrónicos
gracia.

The www.anarchy.no has about 15 000 visitors and 50 000 hits per month. We hope our resolution will contribute to a victory in this case...

The International Workers of the World supports
CGT's (Spanish anarchosyndicalists) actions against the Returns Directive. 21.06.2008: The anarchists, including anarchosyndicalists, step up their direct actions against the Returns Directive.
see http://www.anarchy.no/andebate.html

May Day 2008 - Hunger demonstrations, it's the struggle of the people!

Capitalism and statism deprived us of anything to force us to work

When they don't need our labor force anymore, they let us dying

State and capital kill and don't have anything else to offer

Dying or struggling, there is no other alternative for the people world wide

Hunger and suburbs demonstrations - these struggles are ours

Let's support our struggling class brothers and sisters, let's fight everywhere against exploitation and repression

Our enemy is everywhere the same - the superiors economically and/or political/administrative

This system is in crisis! May it die?

The anarchist International Workers of the World, IWW/AI, today expressed its strong condemnation of a police raid last week, on 6 December in the evening, against the office of the Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP). Police officers detained several young activists present in the office for printing information about a meeting of entrepreneurs and sealed or confiscated BKDP equipment and documents. The detainees were later released but were called up to appear in court for alleged "hooliganism".

The BKDP considers the matter as a clear provocation orchestrated by the Belarusian authorities to attack the independent labor movement. The BKDP is the largest independent labor organization in the country. It has for many years been fighting for labor rights and freedoms, its members are regularly being harassed and discriminated and its delegates have repeatedly been arrested for their commitment to - and defense of - fundamental rights of workers and democracy,

The IWW/AI condemns the raid and calls on the authorities to respect and protect the work of the BKDP and of all its structures, including its central office, to remove the charges against its members and to repair damage made to its office and equipment. It is outrageous that in a country which is under the close supervision of the ILO and which has been denied EU GSP preferences precisely for labor rights violations just half a year ago, the police raids this labor confederation's offices, removes its documentation and equipment and brutally interferes with union activities. The methods the authorities are using to undermine the independent labor movement leave no place for hope that the regime is serious about respecting its ILO obligations and repeated commitments to its own people and to the international community. (11.12.2007)

The IWW/AI calls for an International treaty to protect domestic workers. The question of a possible International Standard for the tens of millions domestic workers in the world will be discussed next month at the International Labour Organization (ILO). "Domestic workers lack protection under both international and national laws" says the document tabled for discussion by the ILO. "They represent an important and growing segment of the labor and their work is enabling others to improve their living standard" it adds. Domestic workers are a vital link in every country's economic chain, carrying out essential tasks for millions of households.

Domestic work is often not recognized by national legislation. Domestic workers therefore do not enjoy the protection of the labor rights laid down in such legislation, so the door is open for all kinds of abuse by their employers. A large number of domestic workers are migrant women. In their countries of origin, many of them hold qualifications that are considerably higher than those required for domestic workers, but the social reality and the obvious need of money to survive push those women to accept to travel and to work as domestic workers.

The IWW/AI is calling for actions worldwide to obtain support to develop an international instrument, i.e. the ILO will have to decide to put this on the agenda of the International Labour Conference in 2010 with the prospect of having a treaty adopted in 2011. Domestic workers must have protection just like others workers. We strongly urge the ILO to take the right decision in this case. An International Convention will make a good framework for direct actions in this matter. 01.11.2007

Working people in all corners of the globe, gathering together on the 1st of May, celebrate the tremendous achievements of the anarchist and labor movement in general, and commemorate all those who have given so much in the cause of justice, equality and human dignity. Especially we remember the Chicago anarchists and the origin of the May Day as the special day of workers' demonstrations, see http://www.anarchy.no/mayday.html .

Each and every person has the right to decent work and a decent life. For the vast millions to whom these rights are but an aspiration, it is through the determination and collective will of the anarchist and labor confederations that this aspiration can become a reality, and for those who today enjoy these rights in their daily lives, it is through their confederations that they will be defended and maintained.

The International Workers of the World, affiliated to the Anarchist International, (IWW/AI) gives us means and renewed vitality in our quest for a better world. We will harness the fight for workers' rights to its very maximum, to bring solidarity to all those who need it, and to change the course of the global economy to make it serve the interests of the many rather than the few.

Our commitment to build a better world, where economic progress serves social needs, where those who live in poverty and at the margins of society are empowered to live decent and fulfilling lives, remains steadfast. The universal values which have underpinned more than a century of proud anarchist and labor movement history, remain as valid today as they did at the very birth of our movement.

We oppose all forms oppression and exploitation, and proclaim our determination to continue the struggle against all those who seek to profit from deprivation, discrimination and despair. We stand united with all women and men who suffer violations of their rights as workers and as human beings and will come to their aid in every way we can. We condemn all those who profit from the misery of others and will carry forward the fight against the rapacious excesses of corporate greed. We will maintain our struggle for a world where all can live secure and peaceful lives, free from authority, the threat of violence, war and destruction, see http://www.anarchy.no/anarchism.html .

The generations of today hold the very future of the planet in our hands. Our actions will leave an indelible mark on the lives of the children of the world and those to come. We shall fulfill our solemn duty to work for sustainable economic and social progress, to play our part in tackling climate change, in providing health and education for all and confronting the enormous challenges which we face as a world community. See http://www.anarchy.no/eam.html .

We seek a world where all countries can cooperate to the common good, building and sustaining fairness, efficiency and social justice in economic and political/administrative relations, where no country is left behind and where the aspirations of all men, women and children to a decent life are met in full. We pledge, in furtherance of the great and durable traditions of our movement, to turns these dreams and hopes into reality.

May Day 2006, on international workers' day, we celebrate the fruits of decades of collective struggle, and pay homage to all those who have made sacrifices in the name of freedom, equality, solidarity, social justice and human dignity. We pledge to continue to use our collective strength to bring about a safe and just world, where every woman and man has the chance of a decent job, based on free contract, not slave contract.

In the face of great challenges confronting working people, the hope that springs from the tenacity of the human spirit is evident everywhere. From young people demanding their rights at work, to migrant workers fighting exploitation, to millions of women in export processing zones or trapped in informal work and striving for justice, people across the world understand better than ever that our common struggle is truly global.

Our international resolve is strong. Long before globalization became a household word, anarchists understood that the fate of workers in one country is inextricably linked with the fate of workers in another. We will continue to confront those who seek to divide, and to profit from division, by pitting worker against worker. We will carry forward the fight to those who advocate xenophobia and racism. We will stand, as ever, in solidarity with all those who face oppression, discrimination and violation of their rights. We remain steadfast in our determination to end global poverty, and to build a global economy that serves the interests of people rather than capital, where the rules of trade and finance support workers' rights and development instead of promoting a race to the bottom.

2006 is a year of historic importance for international anarchism. It is 120 years since the Haymarket affair that initiated the celebration of May Day as the international workers' day, see http://www.anarchy.no/mayday.html . We will use our strength to transform the world of work and the world at large in the interests of all men and women. By reaching out to all workers, standing with those who fight for their rights against exploitation and dictatorship, and campaigning for global peace and security, anarchists around the world will have a significant voice.

Global action on global issues is essential to realizing our primary tasks of fighting for fundamental workers' rights, for equality and for safe, sustainable and healthy work for all. It is indispensable in the fight against HIV-AIDS and the other great crises facing humanity. We pledge to fight for a world in which each human being is empowered to fulfill their potential, no matter where they live. We pledge to fight for a world in which each worker is treated with dignity and respect. Our collective aspiration is timeless, and will live on in the hearts and minds of the working men and women world wide. Anarchy and anarchism mean "system and management without ruler(s), i.e. co-operation without repression, tyranny and slavery". Anarchy and anarchism are coordination on equal footing, without superiors and subordinates, i.e. horizontal organization and co-operation without coercion. This means practically or ideally, i.e. ordinary vs perfect horizontal organization respectively. Thus, anarchy and anarchism mean real democracy, economical and political/administrative, in private and public sector. The best political road ahead is in general towards real democracy, i.e. anarchy, and more of it. Long live the Anarchist International. See http://www.anarchy.no/ai.html and http://www.anarchy.no/iwwai.html .

Warm greetings on this international workers holiday to our sisters and brothers, compañeras and compañeros around the globe.

The fifth year of the 21st century is filled with heroic fight for more libertarian organization and against authoritarian rule world wide. Salutations to the brave working people on every continent who are fighting to protect their children, their water, food, jobs, pensions, birth control, libertarian human rights and lives from authoritarian rule, overpopulation and misery.

Let us turn today’s strong fight into an advance toward universal human fulfillment, a significant horizontal social organization in each country. A radical, anarchist, international, force of workers, women and oppressed peoples could end the current conflicts and construct a new improved economic system based on libertarian cooperation and meeting social needs. Stand up for your rights, organize in labor unions and cooperatives world wide. Onward to a libertarian socialist, feminist, egalitarian world in our time!

May 1st, International Workers' Day, commemorates the historic struggle of working people throughout the world, and is recognized in most countries. The United States of America and Canada are among the exceptions. This despite the fact that the holiday began in the 1880s in the USA, linked to the battle for the eight-hour day, and the Chicago anarchists, see (click on) http://www.anarchy.no/mayday.html .

Today, May 1st 2004, workers all over the world are celebrating the achievements of trade unions, and expressing their hopes for the future. More than ever before, in this globalised world, the situation of workers in one part of the world is linked to the challenges faced by workers in another. More than ever, an injury to one is an injury to all. Never has the need for effective international solidarity been more pressing.

This is why we are adding our voices to the call for Respect for workers wherever they live, wherever they work.

We want RESPECT for workers' rights. Worldwide, many employers try to gain unfair advantage by undermining workers' rights. Strong and inclusive unions, anarchosyndicalist and others, are the only real way for workers to get respect at work.

We want RESPECT for women workers. Unions need women as much as women need unions. Women workers are especially vulnerable in the globalised, liberalised labor market. Organising and protecting women workers must be a priority for labor federations all over the world.

In this Olympic year, we are making a special demand that the Olympic values of "fair play" be brought not only to the games in Athens, but also to the millions of mostly women workers who produce sportswear under often appalling conditions.

We want RESPECT for those working in poverty. A "race to the bottom" is forcing entire countries and their workforces to compete against each other for trade and investment. Trade union rights are violated and workers are being pushed into poverty wages, not least in the world's export processing zones. And in the informal economy, lacking legal and social protections, it's harder and harder for workers to join and form unions. Let's get some respect for these workers, so that they can work their way out of poverty with the help of strong workers' federations.

On May 1st workers' federations will be calling for prosperity. In this time of continued threats to peace and stability strengthening of the international community, we salute the common front for peace and against terrorism which is supported by labor federations and their members the world over.

The labor movement hereby pledges to expand its struggle for the rights and livelihoods for working women and men, for democracy, human rights, peace and Respect for all.

Long live international labor solidarity! Long live the Anarchist International and the International Workers of the World of AI.

We, labor-activists in the International Workers of the World, feel obligated to stand-up and offer our solidarity to our fellow-workers of Italy in this fight for workers' rights. Berlusconi's attack on labor is an attack upon our families and children, world wide. We must fight against these attacks. Relative slave contracts, Orwellian "1984" newspeak "At-will" employment, etc. are horrible. You must not allow it to become the legal standard in Italy! Please, strike and take to the streets on April 16th! The International Workers of the World support the general strike in Italy the 16th of April. Get on the road to anarchy in Italy!
Press release about the general strike etc at (click on) : http://www.anarchy.no/italy1.html .

THE ICC AND THE NORWEGIAN SECTION
OF THE INTERNATIONAL WORKERS OF THE WORLD ETC.

The Norwegian section of IWW/AI, Anarkosyndikalistisk Føderasjon i Norge - AFN, is hosting the International Confederal Council of the IWW/AI. The ICC is an autonomous organ of the IWW/AI and works anarchosyndicalistical as a coordinating organ within the general framework of the Anarchist International, similar to the Anarchist International Embassy, and was founded and mandated at the same congress in 1998, see http://www.anarchy.no/embassy.html . The Norwegian anarchosyndicalist section of the AI/IFA/IAF has worked with several important struggles of the anarchist and labor movement broadly defined. The support actions for "Solidarity" in Poland together with the Anarchist Black Cross Norwegian Division and the Polish section of AI/IFA in 1982 and later, may be mentioned, see, say, IJ@/folkebladet No 1 - 1982. Today the fight against the blue & brown right populist Carl Ivar Hagen and his so called "Progress Party", i.e. reactionary, say, calling for a broad based front against this fascistoid element in Norwegian politics in a manifesto called "Breifront mot Fremskrittspartiet", published 30.04.2002 may be mentioned. See http://www.anarchy.no/dugnad.html , and search for Hagen and IWW. People that don't understand Norwegian may try the translation tool at http://www.anarchy.no/links.html .

The IWW/AI celebrated the 20 & 130 years anniversary, 1872 - 1982 - 2002, also on Internet May Day 2002. We thank everybody that wrote comments/congratulations for interesting feedback world wide. They will not be forgotten. We however quote only a short one here: "Peace brother" from J.A. to the anarchosyndicalists in AFIS, later reported to ICC- IWW/AI. The answer was "O.K". Also the International Anarchist Tribunal was in action on the day of celebration, see http://www.anarchy.no/apt.html , search for, say, Genoa, organ, WW, and May Day... By the way, the web-counter reached an all time high ca 200% above the usual number of hits on a good day.

For freedom, equality, solidarity and other anarchist principles! May Day is no party day. Anarchosyndicalist greetings from L. Jakobsen S.G. ICC - IWW/AI

07.06.2002: English summary: Journalists' strike ends. Newspapers and their web sites in Norway were cranking back into business on Friday after a nine-day journalists' strike that had shut most of them down. The newspaper owners and the journalists' unions came to terms late Thursday night. The agreement includes an extra week of holiday, meaning that all journalists will now get a fifth week off every year. Additional vacation days will be phased in over the next few years, while journalists with more than 18 years' seniority will get a sixth week of annual holiday. Pay will also rise, by an average NOK 8,000 a year (about USD 900) for all union members. Both sides claimed they were pleased with the new agreement. All newspapers were expected to be back in full production over the weekend. The AIIS-club of the Norwegian section of IWW/AI joined in with a solidarity strike one hour per day as long as the strike in general was going on, although as an autonomous co-operative not being directly a part of the pay and holiday conflict.

THE DISCUSSION BETWEEN THE INDUSTRIAL
AND THE INTERNATIONAL WORKERS OF THE WORLD

*) As mentioned the Anarchist International Workers of the World, must not be mixed up with the mainly marxian Industrial-WW. "We are Marxian ... in our critique of capitalism", Jim Crutchfield NYC General Membership Branch, Industrial Workers of the World, expresses in a mail to the International Workers of the World sent Wednesday, April 10, 2002. Steve Ongerth, Web Site Administrator of the Industrial Workers of the World partly agrees in a letter sent Tuesday, April 16, 2002 "When Jim Crutchfield says that the IWW's critique of capitalism is "Marxian", he is correct, but so what? ... There's nothing to be ashamed of. Marx was correct about the evils of capitalism." Furthermore Jim Crutcfield in a letter sent April 11, 2002 declares: "You are correct in saying that the Industrial Workers of the World is outside the anarchist quadrant on (the) political map, and that is as it should be." We on the other hand declare that the International Workers of the World is significant within the anarchist quadrant on the Economical Political Map, see http://www.anarchy.no/a_e_p_m.html.

Thus, these two organizations are quite something different related to the economical political map: 1. The International-WW is anarchist /anarchosyndicalist, and 2. the Industrial-WW is mainly not, and they should never be mixed up by the media or others. Both organizations declare they are against capitalism, but the Industrial-WW has mainly a marxist criticism, the International-WW an anarchist criticism. These are significantly not the same as the anarchist criticism is based on libertarian principles and anarchist political economy broadly defined, while the Marxian is based on historical materialistic dialectics and labor theory of value etc, marxist economics and sociological ideology, i.e. mainly pseudoscience. Furthermore the International-WW has a clear cut anarchist alternative and aim, while the Industrial-WW says they have no clear cut ideology, but indirectly they mainly operate with a) a rather vague marxian communist, socialist and syndicalist mixed partly contradictive type of program, with a dash of libertarian rhetoric, based on "one big industrial union", without b) a clear cut anarchist, consistent, system based on all of the libertarian principles as practical policy and aim. The important question is not what you are against, but what you are for, i.e. the real alternative directly or indirectly indicated by the policy. No union is non-political. If a union have no political actions, they are in reality for status quo. If nothing is clear cut, it is vague fogarchy, i.e. authoritarian. Thus Industrial-WW mainly claiming to be non-ideological and not political, may practically not be so. The policy will be found by investigations based on the general theory of revealed preferences.

In the 1950s, the Industrial-WW earned a place on the list of "subversive" US organizations, because they refused to agree to the provisions of the Taft-Hartley act (which required that Labor Unions renounce "Communism"). The Industrial-WW was then considered a "Communist" organization. It may also be mentioned that the Industrial-WW in the early 1990s overwhelmingly voted against joining the AIT/IWA/IAA, that no doubt convinced some syndicalists that the IWW was marxist and not anarcho-syndicalist. Neither are they members of the Anarchist International. What we have seen from so called libertarians, i.e really ochlarchs, in the Industrial-WW, such as Jamal Hannah & Co, have nothing to do with anarchist, anarchy or anarchism. The typical marxian bully ochlarchy of the Industrial-WW of today is also documented from somebody that have been mobbed just for speaking out and using his right to free speech. IIFOR has the documentation. If this goes on the International-WW will take actions against this marxian ochlarchy of the Industrial-WW. Conflicts must be solved in other ways than with ochlarchy against fellow workers. Consent if possible should not be manufactured by persecution and ochlarchy, but achieved freely in a libertarian way based on dialog and free, matter of fact, criticism. This does not mean that all members of the Industrial-WW are of this ochlarchical type. The dialog between the International Workers of the World and the so called Industrial continues so far.

But the International Workers of the World's point of view is that seen all in all the Industrial-WW is not significantly anarchist, but mainly some kind of marxian type organization on the economical-political map, mainly with some socialist, communist and syndicalist mixed tendencies and sometimes a bit vague libertarian rhetoric, sometimes a bit semilibertarian leftist, sometimes a bit more autoritarian and militant similar to "non-dogmatic" IS-trotskyites, some members this - and some members that, with no clear consistent policy, an thus also a bit chaotic authoritarian. The IIFOR also has documentation stating several "former" trotskyists and trotskyite friends were involved in the reorganization of the Industrial-WW after a long time where the union was practically finished after medio 1900s. Thus, the organization has developed into a typical "student commie type" joke of an authoritarian union, from a more or less libertarian or semilibertarian past in the beginning of the 20th century, - although not so many students perhaps. The boycott of the American Industrial-WW will continue as long as a faction of the Industrial-WW is spreading smearstories and making intrigues against the Anarchist International, and as long as they are posing and (wrongly) labeled as an anarchosyndicalist and libertarian syndicalist union, i.e. what they mainly not are. The Industrial-WW in America and other places is mainly marxian syndicalist - not anarchosyndicalist and anarchistic.

Welcome to THE INTERNATIONAL Workers of the World The anarchosyndicalist trade union, workers' confederation and section of the Anarchist International