Solidarity Federation
Encyclopedia
The Solidarity Federation, also known by the abbreviation SolFed, is a federation of class struggle
anarchists
active in Britain
. The organisation advocates a strategy of anarcho-syndicalism
as a method of abolishing capitalism
and the state
. In 1994 it adopted its current name, having been the Direct Action Movement since 1979.
The group joined the International Workers Association
and gave particular support to the Spanish resistance during the Franco era. It 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 only one lone branch in Manchester
. The SWF then dissolved itself into the group founded as the Direct Action Movement.
, worker-centred strategy.
The DAM was very involved in the Miners' Strike as well as a series of industrial disputes later in the 1980s, including the Ardbride dispute in Ardrossan
, Scotland
, involving a supplier to Laura Ashley
, for which the DAM received international support. From 1988 in Scotland, then England and Wales, the DAM was active in opposing the Poll Tax
.
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
(AFA). AFA was an initiative of the Marxist group Red Action
and the DAM, and was committed to physically combatting various British fascist and far-right groups. It often had encounters with groups such as the British National Front
and the British National Party
. Anti-fascist activities in places such as Liverpool
, Yorkshire
, Bristol
and Norwich
were dominated by local anarchists. Also anarchists, in particular the DAM, were the first to question the motives and tactics of the anti-fascist Searchlight magazine.
, groups of members based within a specific geographical area. These local groups are autonomous, within the bounds laid out in the Solidarity Federation's constitution
. These local groups come together as a confederation
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
their fellow members have given them. Thus the Solidarity Federation is an attempt at a working grassroots democracy
. This confederated national conference is the highest decision making body in the Solidarity Federation.
Internationally, the Solidarity Federation is affiliated to the International Workers Association, being the official British section of the anarcho-syndicalist international. With the IWA also following the principles of Federalism, the Solidarity Federation plays largely the same role in the IWA as a local does in SolFed, being a group of members organised by geographical region. All SolFed members are automatically members of the IWA.
to fight for better pay and conditions. The three existing networks are the Education Workers’ Network, as well as two general networks for and the Public and Private Sector Workers.
Class struggle
Class struggle is the active expression of a class conflict looked at from any kind of socialist perspective. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote "The [written] history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle"....
anarchists
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
active in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The organisation advocates a strategy of anarcho-syndicalism
Anarcho-syndicalism
Anarcho-syndicalism is a branch of anarchism which focuses on the labour movement. The word syndicalism comes from the French word syndicat which means trade union , from the Latin word syndicus which in turn comes from the Greek word σύνδικος which means caretaker of an issue...
as a method of abolishing capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
and the state
State (polity)
A state is an organized political community, living under a government. States may be sovereign and may enjoy a monopoly on the legal initiation of force and are not dependent on, or subject to any other power or state. Many states are federated states which participate in a federal union...
. In 1994 it adopted its current name, having been the Direct Action Movement since 1979.
Syndicalist Workers' Federation
The Syndicalist Workers' Federation was an early syndicalist group in active in Britain, and one of the Solidarity Federation's earliest predecessors. It was formed in 1950 by members of the dissolved Anarchist Federation of Britain (not to be confused with the current Anarchist Federation which was founded as the Anarchist Communist Federation in 1986). Unlike the AFB, which was influenced by Anarcho-Syndicalist ideas but ultimately not Syndicalist itself, the SWF was an primarily an Anarcho-Syndicalist organisation from the outset.The group joined the International Workers Association
International Workers Association
The International Workers' Association is an international federation of anarcho-syndicalist labour unions and initiatives based primarily in Europe and Latin America....
and gave particular support to the Spanish resistance during the Franco era. It 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 only one lone branch in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. The SWF then dissolved itself into the group founded as the Direct Action Movement.
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 decided to pursue a more definitely syndicalistSyndicalism
Syndicalism is a type of economic system proposed as a replacement for capitalism and an alternative to state socialism, which uses federations of collectivised trade unions or industrial unions...
, worker-centred strategy.
The DAM was very involved in the Miners' Strike as well as a series of industrial disputes later in the 1980s, including the Ardbride dispute in Ardrossan
Ardrossan
Ardrossan is a town on the North Ayrshire coast in south-western Scotland. The name "Ardrossan" describes its physical position — 'ard' from the Gaelic àird meaning headland, 'ros' a promontory and the diminutive suffix '-an' - headland of the little promontory...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, involving a supplier to Laura Ashley
Laura Ashley
Laura Ashley was a Welsh fashion designer and businesswoman. She became a household name on the strength of her work as a designer and manufacturer of a range of colourful fabrics for clothes and home furnishings....
, for which the DAM received international support. From 1988 in Scotland, then England and Wales, the DAM was active in opposing the Poll Tax
Community Charge
The Community Charge, popularly known as the "poll tax", was a system of taxation introduced in replacement of the rates to part fund local government in Scotland from 1989, and England and Wales from 1990. It provided for a single flat-rate per-capita tax on every adult, at a rate set by the...
.
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
Anti-Fascist Action was a militant anti-fascist organization founded by members of Red Action and other left-wing groups in the United Kingdom in 1985....
(AFA). AFA was an initiative of the Marxist group Red Action
Red Action
Red Action is a small British leftist political group formed in 1981. It became known for violently confronting racist and fascist opponents on the streets, and for supporting Anti-Fascist Action...
and the DAM, and was committed to physically combatting various British fascist and far-right groups. It often had encounters with groups such as the British National Front
British National Front
The National Front is a far right, white-only political party whose major political activities took place during the 1970s and 1980s. Its popularity peaked in the 1979 general election, when it received 191,719 votes ....
and the British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
. Anti-fascist activities in places such as Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
and Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
were dominated by local anarchists. Also anarchists, in particular the DAM, were the first to question the motives and tactics of the anti-fascist Searchlight magazine.
Solidarity Federation
In March 1994, DAM changed its name to the Solidarity Federation. Presently, the Solidarity Federation publishes the quarterly magazine Direct Action and the industrial freesheet Catalyst. Several locals and networks also publish their own newsletters. Along with the Anarchist Federation it is one of the two national anarchist federations active in the UK at the present time.Federalism
The Solidarity Federation organises according to the principles of anarchist Federalism. The base unit of the federation is the LocalLocal union
A local union, often shortened to local, in North America, or a union branch in the United Kingdom and other countries is a locally-based trade union organization which forms part of a larger, usually national, union.Local branches are organized to represent the union's members from a particular...
, groups of members based within a specific geographical area. These local groups are autonomous, within the bounds laid out in the Solidarity Federation's constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
. These local groups come together as a confederation
Confederation
A confederation in modern political terms is a permanent union of political units for common action in relation to other units. Usually created by treaty but often later adopting a common constitution, confederations tend to be established for dealing with critical issues such as defense, foreign...
to form the national organisation. This most importantly manifests at the national conference, where each local presents a delegate
Delegate
A delegate is a person who speaks or acts on behalf of an organization at a meeting or conference between organizations of the same level A delegate is a person who speaks or acts on behalf of an organization (e.g., a government, a charity, an NGO, or a trade union) at a meeting or conference...
to represent them. These local delegates do not act independently, but instead are guided by the mandate
Mandate
Mandate can refer to:*Mandate , an obligation handed down by an inter-governmental body*Mandate , an official or authoritative command; an order or injunction*Mandate , the power granted by an electorate...
their fellow members have given them. Thus the Solidarity Federation is an attempt at a working grassroots democracy
Grassroots democracy
Grassroots democracy is a tendency towards designing political processes where as much decision-making authority as practical is shifted to the organization's lowest geographic level of organization: principle of subsidiarity....
. This confederated national conference is the highest decision making body in the Solidarity Federation.
Internationally, the Solidarity Federation is affiliated to the International Workers Association, being the official British section of the anarcho-syndicalist international. With the IWA also following the principles of Federalism, the Solidarity Federation plays largely the same role in the IWA as a local does in SolFed, being a group of members organised by geographical region. All SolFed members are automatically members of the IWA.
Industrial Organising
Solidarity Federation members who work in the same work sector have also formed Networks. Their purpose is to promote solidarity amongst workers. Networks also use Direct ActionDirect action
Direct action is activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political, economic, or social goals outside of normal social/political channels. This can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the direct action...
to fight for better pay and conditions. The three existing networks are the Education Workers’ Network, as well as two general networks for and the Public and Private Sector Workers.