The Solidarity Federation, also known by the
abbreviation
An abbreviation (from Latin ''brevis'', meaning ''short'') is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method. It may consist of a group of letters or words taken from the full version of the word or phrase; for example, the word ''abbrevia ...
SolFed, is a federation of
class struggle
Class conflict, also referred to as class struggle and class warfare, is the political tension and economic antagonism that exists in society because of socio-economic competition among the social classes or between rich and poor.
The forms ...
anarchists
Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not necessari ...
active in
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
. The organisation advocates a strategy of
anarcho-syndicalism
Anarcho-syndicalism is a political philosophy and anarchist school of thought that views revolutionary industrial unionism or syndicalism as a method for workers in capitalist society to gain control of an economy and thus control influence in b ...
as a method of abolishing
capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for Profit (economics), profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, pric ...
and the
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
, and describes itself as a "revolutionary union". In 1994 it adopted its current name, having previously been the Direct Action Movement since 1979, and before that the Syndicalist Workers' Federation since 1950.
Along with the
Anarchist Federation it is one of the two anarchist federations active in the UK.
History
Syndicalist Workers' Federation
The Syndicalist Workers' Federation was a syndicalist group in active in post-war Britain,
and one of the Solidarity Federation's earliest predecessors. It was formed in 1950 by members of the dissolved
Anarchist Federation of Britain (AFB). Unlike the AFB, which was influenced by anarcho-syndicalist ideas but ultimately not syndicalist itself, the SWF decided to pursue a more definitely
syndicalist
Syndicalism is a revolutionary current within the left-wing of the labor movement that seeks to unionize workers according to industry and advance their demands through strikes with the eventual goal of gaining control over the means of pr ...
, worker-centred strategy from the outset.
The group joined the
International Workers' Association International Workers' Association may refer to:
* International Workingmen's Association
The International Workingmen's Association (IWA), often called the First International (1864–1876), was an international organisation which aimed at ...
and during the
Franco era gave particular support to the Spanish resistance and the underground
CNT anarcho-syndicalist union, previously involved in the 1936
Spanish Revolution and subsequent
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
against a right-wing military coup backed by both
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
and
Fascist Italy. The SWF initially had some success, but when
Tom Brown, a long-term and very active member was forced out of activity, it declined until by 1979 it had one lone branch in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
. The SWF then dissolved itself into the group founded as the Direct Action Movement.
It
archives are heldby the
International Institute of Social History
The International Institute of Social History (IISH/IISG) is one of the largest archives of labor and social history in the world. Located in Amsterdam, its one million volumes and 2,300 archival collections include the papers of major figur ...
, and
selection of the SWFs publication have been digitally published on libcom.org
Direct Action Movement
The Direct Action Movement was formed in 1979, when the one remaining SWF branch, along with other smaller anarchist groups, decided to form a new organisation of anarcho-syndicalists in Britain.
The DAM was highly involved in the
Miners' Strike
Miners' strikes are when miners conduct strike actions.
See also
* List of strikes
References
{{Reflist
Miners
A miner is a person who extracts ore, coal, chalk, clay, or other minerals from the earth through mining. There are tw ...
as well as a series of industrial disputes later in the 1980s, including the Ardbride dispute in
Ardrossan
Ardrossan (; ) is a town on the North Ayrshire coast in southwestern Scotland. The town has a population of 10,670 and forms part of a conurbation with Saltcoats and Stevenston known as the 'Three Towns'. Ardrossan is located on the east shore ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, involving a supplier to
Laura Ashley
Laura Ashley (née Mountney; 7 September 1925 – 17 September 1985) was a Welsh fashion designer and businesswoman. She originally made furnishing materials in the 1950s, expanding the business into clothing design and manufacture in the 1960s ...
, for which the DAM received international support. From 1988 in Scotland, then England and Wales, the DAM was active in opposing the
Poll Tax
A poll tax, also known as head tax or capitation, is a tax levied as a fixed sum on every liable individual (typically every adult), without reference to income or resources.
Head taxes were important sources of revenue for many governments fr ...
.
In the early 1990s, DAM members set up the Despatch Industry Workers Union, which successfully organised workers for a number of inner-city courier firms.
The DAM was also involved in
Anti-Fascist Action
Anti-Fascist Action (AFA) was a militant anti-fascist organisation, founded in the UK in 1985 by a wide range of anti-racist and anti-fascist organisations.
It was active in fighting far-right organisations, particularly the National Front an ...
(AFA), and was committed to
physically combatting British
fascist
Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...
and
far-right
Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...
groups. It often had encounters with groups such as the
National Front and the
British National Party
The British National Party (BNP) is a far-right, fascist political party in the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in Wigton, Cumbria, and its leader is Adam Walker. A minor party, it has no elected representatives at any level of UK gover ...
.
Anti-fascist
Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were ...
activities in places such as
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
,
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
,
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
and
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
were heavily influenced by local anarchists. Similarly anarchists, in particular the DAM, were the first to question the motives and tactics of the anti-fascist ''
Searchlight magazine
''Searchlight'' is a British magazine, founded in 1975 by Gerry Gable, which publishes exposés about racism, antisemitism and fascism in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.
''Searchlights main focus is on the far right in the United Kingdom, as ...
''.
In March 1994, DAM changed its name to the Solidarity Federation.
Structure
Federalism
The Solidarity Federation organises according to the principles of anarchist
federalism
Federalism is a combined or compound mode of government that combines a general government (the central or "federal" government) with regional governments (Province, provincial, State (sub-national), state, Canton (administrative division), can ...
. The base unit of the federation is the
Local
Local may refer to:
Geography and transportation
* Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand
* Local, Missouri, a community in the United States
* Local government, a form of public administration, usually the lowest tier of administrat ...
, groups of members based within a specific geographical area. These local groups are
autonomous
In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who gives oneself one's ow ...
, within the bounds laid out in the Solidarity Federation's
constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When ...
. These local groups come together as a
confederation
A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
to form the national organisation. This most importantly manifests at the national conference, where each local presents a delegate to represent them. These local delegates do not act independently, but instead are guided by the
mandate (formal instructions) their fellow members have given them. In this way, the Solidarity Federation is an attempt at a working
grassroots democracy
Grassroots democracy is a tendency towards designing political processes that shift as much decision-making authority as practical to the organization's lowest geographic or social level of organization.
Grassroots organizations can have a var ...
. This confederated national conference is the highest decision making body in the Solidarity Federation.
Internationally, the Solidarity Federation forms the British section of
International Workers' Association International Workers' Association may refer to:
* International Workingmen's Association
The International Workingmen's Association (IWA), often called the First International (1864–1876), was an international organisation which aimed at ...
, an international federation of
anarcho-syndicalist
Anarcho-syndicalism is a political philosophy and anarchist school of thought that views revolutionary industrial unionism or syndicalism as a method for workers in capitalist society to gain control of an economy and thus control influence i ...
unions and groups. With the IWA also following the principles of federalism, the Solidarity Federation plays a role in the IWA similar to that of a local in SolFed, as a group of members organised by geographical region. All SolFed members are automatically members of the IWA.
Workplace organising
Industrial Networks
Solidarity Federation members who work in the same employment sector have formed Industrial Networks. Their purpose is to promote
solidarity
''Solidarity'' is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. It is based on class collaboration.''Merriam Webster'', http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictio ...
amongst workers and focus on developing and implementing a
direct action
Direct action originated as a political activist term for economic and political acts in which the actors use their power (e.g. economic or physical) to directly reach certain goals of interest, in contrast to those actions that appeal to oth ...
strategy to fight for better pay and conditions in their industry.
Organiser Training (open course)
Solidarity Federation are responsible for supplying volunteer staff to run
workplace organiser training courseintended to "give people the tools and confidence to organise in their workplaces and win grievances". This training is open to non-members and focuses on how building a 'shop committee' can form a platform by which to initiate an effective anarcho-syndicalist approach to workplace issues.
In addition, training on supporting
direct action
Direct action originated as a political activist term for economic and political acts in which the actors use their power (e.g. economic or physical) to directly reach certain goals of interest, in contrast to those actions that appeal to oth ...
casework is provided by members involved in the
hospitality
Hospitality is the relationship between a guest and a host, wherein the host receives the guest with some amount of goodwill, including the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers. Louis de Jaucourt, Louis, chevalier de J ...
workers and housing campaigns.
Activities
End Unpaid Work
In early 2012, Solidarity Federation initiated a national campaign against
workfare
Workfare is a governmental plan under which welfare recipients are required to accept public-service jobs or to participate in job training. Many countries around the world have adopted workfare (sometimes implemented as "work-first" policies) to ...
. The organisation describe workfare as a government initiative to implement 'schemes in which people are forced to work without wages in order to receive their benefits'. Solidarity Federation further claim that workfare is 'part of a long term re-structuring of the labour market towards more temporary, lower paid jobs and with poorer conditions and fewer benefits'
by 'placing significant downward pressure on the wages and conditions of those of us who work.'
The campaign initially focused specifically on
Holland and Barrett, a health supplement corporation making use of placements staffed by unpaid benefits claimants. On 5 July 2012, after a sustained series of
pickets at Holland and Barrett stores across the
UK, the company announced via social media and its website that it was pulling out of the workfare scheme, citing negative publicity.
This announcement came just days before a national 'week of action against workfare', organised jointly with
Boycott Workfare
Boycott Workfare is a British campaign group that has opposed "workfare" policies in the United Kingdom. The group's campaigning has been very successful in making companies and charities pull out of "workfare". In January 2014 the group lodged ...
, was due to begin.
A Solidarity Federation spokesperson speaking to ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' newspaper described the victory as:
...not just a victory for claimants, uta victory for all of us as workfare undermines pay and conditions
Later targets for pickets included
Poundland
Poundland is a British variety store chain founded in 1990. It once sold most items at the single price of £1, including Closeout (sale), clearance items and proprietary brands. The first Pilot (experiment), pilot store opened in December 19 ...
, with pickets taking place in several cities.
Sussex University Pop Up Union
Members of the
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
Solidarity Federation local were heavily involved in the organisation of a pop up union at the
University of Sussex
, mottoeng = Be Still and Know
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £14.4 million (2020)
, budget = £319.6 million (2019–20)
, chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar
, vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil
, ...
in 2013. The pop up union was set up in response to plans to
outsource
Outsourcing is an agreement in which one company hires another company to be responsible for a planned or existing activity which otherwise is or could be carried out internally, i.e. in-house, and sometimes involves transferring employees and ...
235 workers to private firms, which led to a large
protest
A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one.
Protests can be thought of as acts of coopera ...
campaign on the Sussex campus including demonstrations and the occupation of the university conference centre.
The pop up union was formed for the purpose of enabling staff to take part in legally recognised strike action, something the existing unions on campus had been unwilling to do despite strong support in indicative ballots.
The pop up union required workers to pay a small notional membership fee to join, and quickly grew to be the second largest union on the university campus.
It held a
ballot
A ballot is a device used to cast votes in an election and may be found as a piece of paper or a small ball used in secret voting. It was originally a small ball (see blackballing) used to record decisions made by voters in Italy around the 16t ...
on taking
strike action
Strike action, also called labor strike, labour strike, or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to Labor (economics), work. A strike usually takes place in response to grievance (labour), employee grievance ...
in May 2013 which led to a vote to strike. However, this was annulled following legal challenge by the university.
An assessment of the pop up union by SolFed members involved in its organisation,
The Pop Up Union: a postmortem'' was published on the Solidarity Federation website.
Hospitality Workers Campaign
In October 2013 the Brighton local launched a campaign to organise
hospitality
Hospitality is the relationship between a guest and a host, wherein the host receives the guest with some amount of goodwill, including the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers. Louis de Jaucourt, Louis, chevalier de J ...
workers in the city. Spearheaded by Solidarity Federation members working in the sector, the campaign focuses on building solidarity amongst workers across the sector and taking action regarding issues including below
minimum wage
A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation by the end of the 20th century. Bec ...
pay, long shifts without breaks, the lack of written or verbal
contract
A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tran ...
s, unpaid
overtime
Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways:
*by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society) ...
, unlawful deductions from wages and no holiday entitlement. Weekly drop in sessions are held for workers in the sector to bring issues and to discuss potential campaigns of action.
A campaign will usually begin with a demand letter being presented to the employer, stating the grievance, what is demanded and the timescale within which these demands should be met otherwise the campaign will be escalated. Tactics for escalation include boycotts, publicity, phone and email blockades and pickets of the workplace. As much as possible the campaign seeks to involve the worker and their colleagues in the campaign and to involve workers from other disputes.
The Brighton Solidarity Federation website mentions 21 previous disputes, with £38,830.50 in owed wages and holiday entitlement listed as having been paid.
A similar campaign was launched by hospitality workers in the
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
local in August 2017.
Brighton Housing Campaign
Since 2015, the Brighton local has been publicly campaigning on issues around
rented
Renting, also known as hiring or letting, is an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property owned by another. A gross lease is when the tenant pays a flat rental amount and the landlord pays for a ...
housing. Similar to the hospitality workers campaign the local holds weekly drop ins to help tenants to organise around issues including
agency fee An agency shop is a form of union security agreement where the employer may hire union or non-union workers, and employees need not join the union in order to remain employed.Pynes, Joan. ''Human Resources Management for Public and Nonprofit Organi ...
s, withheld deposits and poor housing conditions. It has been involved in a number of campaigns targeting
landlord
A landlord is the owner of a house, apartment, condominium, land, or real estate which is rented or leased to an individual or business, who is called a tenant (also a ''lessee'' or ''renter''). When a juristic person is in this position, the ...
s and
estate agent
An estate agent is a person or business that arranges the selling, renting, or management of properties and other buildings. An agent that specialises in renting is often called a letting or management agent. Estate agents are mainly engaged i ...
s who provide substandard housing or withhold money owed.
One article from November 2017 mentions three successful cases from the proceeding three months. The cases led to £6,510 being paid to tenants as compensation and to repairs being carried out as a result of the campaign.
Bristol Care Workers Network
In June 2017
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
local founded the Bristol
Care Workers Network. This is a network of health and social care workers seeking to organise for better rights, pay and terms for workers in the sector. Whilst not formally part of the Solidarity Federation it retains close links to the organisation.
Locals
*Brighton
*Bristol
*Edinburgh
*Leeds
*Liverpool
*Manchester
*Newcastle
*North London
*South London
*Southampton
*Thames Valley
See also
*
Anarchism in England
*
Anarchism in Scotland
References
Further reading
*
External links
Solidarity Federation websiteList of Solidarity Federation local sectionsLiverpool Solidarity Federation websiteBrighton Solidarity Federation websiteBristol Care Workers NetworkSolidarity Federation archive at libcom.org
{{Authority control
Organizations established in 1979
International Workers' Association
Anarchist organisations in the United Kingdom
Syndicalism
1950 establishments in the United Kingdom
Anarchist Federations
Anarchism in England
Anarchism in Scotland
Far-left politics in Scotland