Confederazione del Comitati di Base
Encyclopedia
The Confederazione del Comitati di Base (Cobas) is a rank and file
trade union center
in Italy
. It was formed in the late 1980s from members who were dissatisfied with the leadership of the three main Italian confederations. Many of its members see it as syndicalist, but it has also courted the Trotskyist group, the League for the Fifth International
who it shared a platform with at the anti-G8 protests in Rostock
in 2007.
Cobas regard themselves as alternative labor unions, that is rank and file
unions in contrast to the hierarchical mainstream unions that impose upon the base accommodationist anti-workers comprimeses. Comparable "rank and file" labor unions exist in France: the Fédération Syndicale Unitaire
(FSU), and the Solidaires Unitaires Démocratiques
(SUD) and their confederation in the Group of 10.
Rank and file
In politics and labor unions the rank and file are the individual members of an organization, exclusive of its leadership. The phrase originated in the military, denoting the horizontal "ranks" and vertical "files" of individual foot-soldiers, exclusive of the noncommissioned officers....
trade union center
National trade union center
A national trade union center is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a single country. Nearly every country in the world has a national trade union center, and many have more than one. When there is more than one national center, it is often because of ideological differences—in some...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. It was formed in the late 1980s from members who were dissatisfied with the leadership of the three main Italian confederations. Many of its members see it as syndicalist, but it has also courted the Trotskyist group, the League for the Fifth International
League for the Fifth International
The League for the Fifth International is an international grouping of revolutionary Trotskyist organisations around a common programme and perspectives. The group has sections in Europe, South Asia, and North America as well as supporters in the Middle East.-Early years:L5I was founded as the...
who it shared a platform with at the anti-G8 protests in Rostock
Rostock
Rostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...
in 2007.
Cobas regard themselves as alternative labor unions, that is rank and file
Rank and file
In politics and labor unions the rank and file are the individual members of an organization, exclusive of its leadership. The phrase originated in the military, denoting the horizontal "ranks" and vertical "files" of individual foot-soldiers, exclusive of the noncommissioned officers....
unions in contrast to the hierarchical mainstream unions that impose upon the base accommodationist anti-workers comprimeses. Comparable "rank and file" labor unions exist in France: the Fédération Syndicale Unitaire
Fédération Syndicale Unitaire
The Fédération syndicale unitaire is the main trade union in the education sector in France and the largest trade union in the public sector. It has 162,000 members, of whom 88% are teachers....
(FSU), and the Solidaires Unitaires Démocratiques
Solidaires Unitaires Démocratiques
The Solidaires or Solidaires Unitaires Démocratiques is a French group of trade unions.-Political position:They tend to favor progressive or even radical views and work with the alter-globalization or anti-globalization movement....
(SUD) and their confederation in the Group of 10.
History
The factory councils became more and more popular during the 1970s, and its co-existence with the traditional mainstream workers unions encouraged an increase in unionization. However, in 1978, the major mainstream workers unions were compelled to a push towards recentralizing power before practices and rules by the base could stabilize outside of their control.Further reading
- Patrick* OCL Caen (2001)SUD: viaggio all'interno del nuovo sindacalismo, in Sindacalismo di Base n.12