The North London Solidarity Federation is running an introduction to the group with the aim of getting more people involved and becoming more active. All are welcome to come along and discuss what syndicalism is, what SolFed is, what we have done, what we would like to do, and why you should get involved.
Newcastle SolFed stall in Sunderland on Sat 19 Nov 11am to 1pm
Unpaid wages? | Housing issues? | In need of Solidarity?
Visit our stall at Market Square
http://solfed.org.uk/local/newcastle
@NewcastleSF
Newcastle SolFed Dispute Drop-in on Sun 13 Nov 12:00, Café (free)
Come along and talk to SolFed members about housing & workplace disputes. We're not an advice centre, legal experts or do-gooders - just workers who want to help other workers, and who expect to be helped by other workers. We encourage all workers who approach us to get involved and contribute their views so that we can improve and develop through a collective process of activity and discussion.
Star and Shadow Cinema, Warwick St, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 1BB
https://www.starandshadow.org.uk/programme/event/newcastle-solfed-disput...
The Solidarity Federation Education Union (SFEU) is a new initiative, which grows out of the desire for connected struggle and defence of education workers across the board. In our small but growing Union we welcome all workers within the sector, from primary to higher education, and all roles within the industry, from caretakers, classroom assistants, through to teachers. While some of the existing unions can be fairly effective, many workplaces have no real union presence and workers are left to either defend themselves or have "agreements" imposed upon them. Furthermore, traditional British trade unionism tends to replicate rather than challenge divisions of workers along lines of grade, function, degree of precarity, and workplace by prioritising the interests of specific categories at the direct expenses of others.
Manchester Solidarity Federation held a picket outside the Polish Consulate in Manchester today. Our picket was in solidarity with self-organised Polish postal workers who have been involved in a two year campaign aimed at improving pay and conditions and are being supported by our Polish IWA sister-section the ZSP union.
Basic freedom of speech is under attack in Poland, especially for workers. The state-controlled Post Office is trying to criminalize workers who speak out about their working conditions. Protests by postal workers have led to harassment, threats against them and the unfair dismissal of three organisers: Klaudiusz Wieczorek, Rafal Czerski, and Zbigniew Trochimiak. In addition, the state has brought a series of bogus criminal cases against members of our sister union, the ZSP-IWA.
Stop state repression of workers now!
After a few years’ absence, SolFed is back in Liverpool. During recent months, we have been meeting with comrades in Manchester, supporting their activities and trying to find out how to restart things here. Now a few of us have decided to take the step to start the process of becoming a SolFed Local.
The Solidarity Federation is organising a workplace training day in Manchester on Saturday 7th March. The course will provide a basic introduction to workplace organising. Primarily focusing on how to organise resistance in the workplace in difficult conditions and when, under the anti-trade union laws, taking the mildest form of action can leave workers open to the sack.
The day’s course will include:
The Role of the Workplace Organiser
How to set about organising in Workplace
Taking Effective Action in Difficult Conditions
Building a Workplace Organisation
If you have problems at your workplace and want to fight back or if you want to get involved in workplace organising, the course should provide a good foundation for getting you started.
Keith Hodgson, long time activist in the Liverpool anarchist scene, died on Saturday 23rd February 2013, aged 50. Keith, like many of his generation, was radicalised by the re-vitalised Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, and by the Thatcher onslaught against working class rights and freedoms in the 1980s. As a young anarchist and CND activist, Keith rapidly moved to the direct action wing of the anti-militarist movement and also worked voluntarily in the CND Merseyside offices. This combination of organisational work and street activism was typical of Keith over the years.
The Solidarity Federation is a revolutionary union initiative: a working class organisation which seeks the abolition of capitalism and the state. Capitalism because it exploits, oppresses and kills working people and wrecks the environment for profit worldwide. The state because it can only maintain hierarchy and privilege for the classes who control it and their servants; it cannot be used to fight the oppression and exploitation that are the consequences of hierarchy and the source of privilege.
(last amended, November 2020)
Affiliation to the Solidarity Federation is conditional on agreement to abide by the Aims, Principles and Constitution and on the payment of all applicable subscriptions.
Certain workers have roles and interests that are incompatible with the aims and principles of anarcho-syndicalism and are barred from membership. These include:
police and prison officers
those who have the power to restrain or imprison in detention centres of all varieties
bailiffs and landlords
full-time trade union officials (see Appendix)