Comments on: Unite and its Class Collaboration http://anarchafairy.wordpress.com/2007/01/19/unite-and-its-class-collaboration/ The tortured thoughts of a revolutionary anarchist Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:00:59 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Notes on the Possibilities and Limitations of Anarcho-syndicalism – Errant Dispatch http://anarchafairy.wordpress.com/2007/01/19/unite-and-its-class-collaboration/#comment-1114 Notes on the Possibilities and Limitations of Anarcho-syndicalism – Errant Dispatch Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:00:59 +0000 http://anarchafairy.wordpress.com/2007/01/19/unite-and-its-class-collaboration/#comment-1114 [...] post on Unite and the ensuing discussion got me thinking about unions as a form of class organisation, and the possibilities they offer to a [...] [...] post on Unite and the ensuing discussion got me thinking about unions as a form of class organisation, and the possibilities they offer to a [...]

]]> By: Span http://anarchafairy.wordpress.com/2007/01/19/unite-and-its-class-collaboration/#comment-310 Span Wed, 04 Apr 2007 23:11:02 +0000 http://anarchafairy.wordpress.com/2007/01/19/unite-and-its-class-collaboration/#comment-310 I guess what I resent is the implication that if you aren't working for Unite you are somehow not interested in, or trying to do, real organising work (as opposed to servicing). There are many union activists who are members or staff in more conservative unions and have been fighting the good fight for years and years (long before Matt McCarten came to Unite in fact). It takes time to make change in these kinds of institutions. We do our best. I guess what I resent is the implication that if you aren’t working for Unite you are somehow not interested in, or trying to do, real organising work (as opposed to servicing). There are many union activists who are members or staff in more conservative unions and have been fighting the good fight for years and years (long before Matt McCarten came to Unite in fact). It takes time to make change in these kinds of institutions. We do our best.

]]> By: Simon http://anarchafairy.wordpress.com/2007/01/19/unite-and-its-class-collaboration/#comment-261 Simon Sat, 03 Mar 2007 22:20:12 +0000 http://anarchafairy.wordpress.com/2007/01/19/unite-and-its-class-collaboration/#comment-261 I definetly agree that union's have failed to involve people. There is no doubt about that. And they still fail to. I still beleive that for most people they don't feel an active part in anything, except during industrial action. Industrial action is when people see a point to meetings (not always, but definetly see it more) and see a reason to get involved. Union's should be organised around industrial action, rather than seeing it as something to do when negotiations break down. Simon I definetly agree that union’s have failed to involve people. There is no doubt about that. And they still fail to. I still beleive that for most people they don’t feel an active part in anything, except during industrial action. Industrial action is when people see a point to meetings (not always, but definetly see it more) and see a reason to get involved. Union’s should be organised around industrial action, rather than seeing it as something to do when negotiations break down.

Simon

]]> By: Kev http://anarchafairy.wordpress.com/2007/01/19/unite-and-its-class-collaboration/#comment-260 Kev Thu, 01 Mar 2007 20:04:47 +0000 http://anarchafairy.wordpress.com/2007/01/19/unite-and-its-class-collaboration/#comment-260 It was suppose to read fortunitly not un fortunitly in my comment the new way off organising is to engage the workforce at a social level and when workers have the social investment in one another it becomes very easy for workers to act collectivly this is proving to work well but understand this that the unions of today are really just barging agents and the bigger they become the harder it is for them to service so there is real resistance for growth unless we can empower workers to become activly involved which is what i am doing.there is plenty of apathy in NZ and i blame partly the unions as they have always serviced the membership and done this very well i might add and for this the membership has become dis conected dis empowered. It was suppose to read fortunitly not un fortunitly in my comment the new way off organising is to engage the workforce at a social level and when workers have the social investment in one another it becomes very easy for workers to act collectivly this is proving to work well but understand this that the unions of today are really just barging agents and the bigger they become the harder it is for them to service so there is real resistance for growth unless we can empower workers to become activly involved which is what i am doing.there is plenty of apathy in NZ and i blame partly the unions as they have always serviced the membership and done this very well i might add and for this the membership has become dis conected dis empowered.

]]> By: Simon http://anarchafairy.wordpress.com/2007/01/19/unite-and-its-class-collaboration/#comment-258 Simon Thu, 01 Mar 2007 11:58:02 +0000 http://anarchafairy.wordpress.com/2007/01/19/unite-and-its-class-collaboration/#comment-258 is there such a thing as impulsivity through blogging. SLEEP goddamit! sleep! (procrastinate god damn it, procrastinate!) is there such a thing as impulsivity through blogging. SLEEP goddamit! sleep! (procrastinate god damn it, procrastinate!)

]]> By: Simon http://anarchafairy.wordpress.com/2007/01/19/unite-and-its-class-collaboration/#comment-257 Simon Thu, 01 Mar 2007 11:55:38 +0000 http://anarchafairy.wordpress.com/2007/01/19/unite-and-its-class-collaboration/#comment-257 Hmm. I don't work for Unite anymore. I suppose I was spat out. Yes, I had a bad experience. I've gotten past that. The workers at that particular site have long forgotten it. Sure, I've got issues with stuff it's doing. I've got lots of issues with how lots of stuff is being done. But the real issue, apart from always criticising stuff (which often deserves it) where are people trying to make these alternatives? If you ignore the unions completely then what's your strategy. And I mean a strategy that actually involved everyday people. It's good to be critical. I'm all for that. But I'm not all for years of it with nothing as an alternative. Often when you try and give something ago, you come aross hurdles and you have to find ways of dealing with it. Those decisions are difficult. It's not simply a matter of unions getting in the way. Getting in the way of what? They're not simply like a valve stopping radicalism from flowing through. Apathy is real. It's a social force. It's a produce of our society. Take away the unions and the apathy is still there. If you've got an alternative that can batter down apathy through empowerment then that's a solution! But you can't batter down apathy in the general populace if it doesn't involve them. Union's are a strategy. On the workplace people share a common concern that they can deal with collectively if they have the skills, knowledge, confidence, support. It won't just happen by itself if unions aren't there. We've got to learn to be able to deal with the product of apathy and the causes in real world situations. It's through struggle that we'll learn the ways of dealing with that. THOUGH STRUGGLE. And that ain't just struggling to think of a critism or theory, it's about getting involved in a dirty non-perfect situation and applying that. That is a part of what Unites doing, wether it's they are doing it the best way or not. Unite is it's members as well as it's people pushing it. They might not be as active. They might potentially be activists. What's the solution? What if they are't interested in democracy at the mo? Does that make them authoritarian? Hmm. I don’t work for Unite anymore. I suppose I was spat out. Yes, I had a bad experience. I’ve gotten past that. The workers at that particular site have long forgotten it. Sure, I’ve got issues with stuff it’s doing. I’ve got lots of issues with how lots of stuff is being done. But the real issue, apart from always criticising stuff (which often deserves it) where are people trying to make these alternatives? If you ignore the unions completely then what’s your strategy. And I mean a strategy that actually involved everyday people. It’s good to be critical. I’m all for that. But I’m not all for years of it with nothing as an alternative. Often when you try and give something ago, you come aross hurdles and you have to find ways of dealing with it. Those decisions are difficult. It’s not simply a matter of unions getting in the way. Getting in the way of what? They’re not simply like a valve stopping radicalism from flowing through. Apathy is real. It’s a social force. It’s a produce of our society. Take away the unions and the apathy is still there. If you’ve got an alternative that can batter down apathy through empowerment then that’s a solution! But you can’t batter down apathy in the general populace if it doesn’t involve them. Union’s are a strategy. On the workplace people share a common concern that they can deal with collectively if they have the skills, knowledge, confidence, support. It won’t just happen by itself if unions aren’t there. We’ve got to learn to be able to deal with the product of apathy and the causes in real world situations. It’s through struggle that we’ll learn the ways of dealing with that. THOUGH STRUGGLE. And that ain’t just struggling to think of a critism or theory, it’s about getting involved in a dirty non-perfect situation and applying that. That is a part of what Unites doing, wether it’s they are doing it the best way or not. Unite is it’s members as well as it’s people pushing it. They might not be as active. They might potentially be activists. What’s the solution? What if they are’t interested in democracy at the mo? Does that make them authoritarian?

]]> By: Kev http://anarchafairy.wordpress.com/2007/01/19/unite-and-its-class-collaboration/#comment-256 Kev Thu, 01 Mar 2007 02:59:51 +0000 http://anarchafairy.wordpress.com/2007/01/19/unite-and-its-class-collaboration/#comment-256 Well interesting i must say I am a union organiser trying to organise from the ground up and to dis empower the oligarhcy.I worked as a union organiser for several years in Aussie and know in NZ and you guys are so right unions should be run by the working class. At the moment i am developing a new way of organising unfortunitly inside a academic union and getting some real traction with the workers but struggling with the oligarhcy Well interesting i must say I am a union organiser trying to organise from the ground up and to dis empower the oligarhcy.I worked as a union organiser for several years in Aussie and know in NZ and you guys are so right unions should be run by the working class. At the moment i am developing a new way of organising unfortunitly inside a academic union and getting some real traction with the workers but struggling with the oligarhcy

]]> By: Unite Update « anarchafairy http://anarchafairy.wordpress.com/2007/01/19/unite-and-its-class-collaboration/#comment-160 Unite Update « anarchafairy Tue, 06 Feb 2007 20:46:45 +0000 http://anarchafairy.wordpress.com/2007/01/19/unite-and-its-class-collaboration/#comment-160 [...] I was pulled aside by two organisers to have “a talk” about my comments about the Unite and Wananga deal which, as far as I was concerned, merely amounted to a restating of our positions. One tried to [...] [...] I was pulled aside by two organisers to have “a talk” about my comments about the Unite and Wananga deal which, as far as I was concerned, merely amounted to a restating of our positions. One tried to [...]

]]> By: Span http://anarchafairy.wordpress.com/2007/01/19/unite-and-its-class-collaboration/#comment-133 Span Tue, 30 Jan 2007 19:46:54 +0000 http://anarchafairy.wordpress.com/2007/01/19/unite-and-its-class-collaboration/#comment-133 Unite has also spat out quite a few people who have ended up working for other unions now. Unite has also spat out quite a few people who have ended up working for other unions now.

]]> By: Mr G http://anarchafairy.wordpress.com/2007/01/19/unite-and-its-class-collaboration/#comment-108 Mr G Fri, 26 Jan 2007 02:04:14 +0000 http://anarchafairy.wordpress.com/2007/01/19/unite-and-its-class-collaboration/#comment-108 yuda and others, yep good idea to have some sort of discussion among all the anarchos and radicals that have gone thru Unite/AWU/etc in last few years and have been spat out the other end all grumpy. it would be a good basis for the next national gathering of anarchists, although including non-anarchist-lefties-who-are-too-radical-for-unite would be good too. yuda and others, yep good idea to have some sort of discussion among all the anarchos and radicals that have gone thru Unite/AWU/etc in last few years and have been spat out the other end all grumpy. it would be a good basis for the next national gathering of anarchists, although including non-anarchist-lefties-who-are-too-radical-for-unite would be good too.

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