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Free Workers' Union

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FAU
Free Workers' Union
Freie Arbeiterinnen- und Arbeiter-Union
Founded1977
Location
Members1.400 [1]
AffiliationsInternational Confederation of Labour
Websitewww.fau.org

The Free Workers' Union (German: Freie Arbeiterinnen- und Arbeiter-Union[2] or Freie ArbeiterInnen-Union; abbreviated FAU) is an anarcho-syndicalist union in Germany and Switzerland.

History

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The FAU sees itself in the tradition of the Free Workers' Union of Germany (German: Freie Arbeiter Union Deutschlands; FAUD),[3] the largest anarcho-syndicalist union in Germany until it disbanded as a formal organization in 1933 to avoid repression by the National Socialist regime which had come into power that year. The FAU was founded in 1977, and grew consistently through the 1990s. Now, the FAU consists of just under 40 groups, organized locally and by branch of trade. It rejects hierarchical organizations and political representation and believes in the concept of federalism; most decisions are made by the local unions. The purpose of the federalist organization is to coordinate strikes, campaigns and actions, and for communication. It has 800 to 1000 members, organized in the various local unions.[citation needed]

The FAU publishes the bimonthly anarcho-syndicalist newspaper Direkte Aktion and pamphlets on current and historical topics.[citation needed]

Because it supports the classical concept of the abolition of the wage system, the FAU was monitored until 2011 by the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution).[citation needed]

The FAU was disaffiliated by the International Workers' Association in 2016,[4] and became one of the founding members of the International Confederation of Labour (ICL) in 2018.[5]

Labor disputes

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Delivery industry and gig economy

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The FAU is now also used as a form of representation and organisation by workers in the gig economy, such as workers in online food delivery services. At the end of 2016, the FAU, together with a number of other unions, launched an international network of delivery workers.[6] In Berlin, the FAU founded a special section called "Deliverunion" in mid-2017,[7] in which drivers of the companies Deliveroo and Foodora, among others, organised themselves.[8][9] Drivers of various services also subsequently organised themselves in other cities such as Leipzig, Dresden and Hamburg.[10][11] In June 2017, FAU demonstrators unloaded scrap bicycles in front of Deliveroo's Berlin headquarters in this context to protest against the working conditions of the company's bike messengers.[12] In Leipzig, FAU 2020 was in a prolonged dispute with the company Durstexpress.[13][14][15] In 2021, the FAU Berlin supported a widely publicised wildcat strike by workers at the delivery service Gorillas with solidarity actions,[16] FAU unions in Leipzig[17][18][19] and Magdeburg[20] were involved in various conflicts with Domino's Pizza. In 2022, the FAU Dresden announced that it was currently supporting members of the delivery service Flink in conflicts.[21] The FAU repeatedly emphasises that migrants in particular are specifically recruited for companies in the sector and that dependencies, poor knowledge of the legal situation and language barriers are used there for the systematic violation of labour rights.[citation needed]

Further industrial action in migrant sectors

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In 2014, members of the "Foreigner Section" of the FAU Berlin started an industrial action under the slogan "Mall of Shame" against contractors and subcontractors who were in charge of the Mall of Berlin construction project. Specifically, this involved a large group of Romanian construction workers who were allegedly not paid their wages for several months.[22] Part of the struggle involved continuous rallies and demonstrations.[23][24]

During the Corona crisis, in May 2020, Romanian migrant workers organised themselves into the FAU Bonn, working for the Spargel Ritter company in Bornheim. The migrant workers went on strike after they were refused payment of their contractually guaranteed wages. They also protested against the housing conditions and the poor food supply on the asparagus farm. The strike succeeded in getting a larger part of the wages paid. The case was received in the regional and national media as an example of the exploitation of Eastern European workers in Germany.[25][26]

Gastronomy

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In the catering industry, FAU trade unions frequently engage in smaller individual disputes, often over labour law violations. According to their own statements, the unions try to help their members to get justice quickly and in this way shorten long-term court proceedings.[27][28][29] For example, a major industrial dispute took place in 2014 in the pub "Trotzdem" in Dresden, where the staff went on strike for a total of four weeks, accompanied by rallies and demonstrations.[30][31] The unions have also been involved in the strike in the restaurant sector.[citation needed]

Ideology

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In labour disputes, the FAU prefers to use direct action, by which it means using the most direct pressure possible, for example through public action or disruption of workplace procedures, to win disputes in the interests of workers.[32][33]

The trade union federation rejects parliamentarism and representation of the people as fields of activity. According to its own representations, real political goals are not to be achieved via parliament, but directly through the involvement of the trade union members concerned. It has a tactical attitude towards works council elections.[34] The principle of social partnership and exempt or paid functionaries are rejected.[citation needed]

Depending on the local union, anarcho-syndicalism is also accompanied by the theories and practice of autonomies and operaism. With its activity, the FAU wants to prepare, besides a concrete improvement of living and working conditions, the social revolution with which the classless and dominationless society is to be achieved by means of a general strike.[citation needed]

The FAU was listed by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution of Lower Saxony in the section on left-wing extremism in the 2013 report on the protection of the constitution.[35] It was also mentioned in this section in the Bundesverfassungsschutzbericht 2019,[36] after this had not been the case in previous years. When asked about the reason for observation by the MDR magazine "Exactly" in 2021 to several constitutional protection agencies, only the Saxony-Anhalt constitutional protection agency commented, giving the following reason: "At its core [... ] the FAU strives for a society without domination and property."[37]

Strike Bikes

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After Lone Star Funds announced it would close a bicycle factory in Nordhausen, Thuringia, it had acquired, its workers decided to occupy the factory in July 2007. From 22 to 26 October the workers continued bicycle production. With the help of the FAU, over 1,800 of these red bicycles were sold under the label "Strike Bike". The occupation of the factory ended after the company's liquidator forced the workers out.[38]

Free Workers' Union Berlin

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On 11 December 2009 the Berlin District Court issued an injunction on the Free Workers' Union Berlin (FAU-B) banning it from calling itself a union or grassroots union.The court decision was confirmed on 5 January 2010. The FAU views this as "the culmination of a series of attempts by the Neue Babylon Berlin GmbH to legally hogtie the strongest and most active form of workers' representation in the company. This attack on the basic right of freedom of association is a de facto ban of the union in Berlin".[39] On 10 June 2010 the Kammergericht overturned the injunction.[40]

Free Workers' Union in Switzerland

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In Switzerland, the FAU is represented by independent local syndicates in Bern, Lucerne, Solothurn and, since 2023, St.Gallen. Since 2010, the "Schwarzi Chatz" (Swiss-German, German: Schwarze Katze, English: Black Cat) has been published, which also serves as a mouthpiece for the FAU syndicates organized in Switzerland. Since 2022, there has been a separate youth organization, the "Freie Arbeiter*innen Jugend" (FAJ for short).[41]

Notes and references

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  1. ^ "Verfassungsschutzbericht 2022".
  2. ^ Arbeiterinnen is the female version of the male Arbeiter, both mean workers in English
  3. ^ Bock, Hans Manfred (1990). "Anarchosyndicalism in the German Labour Movement: a Rediscovered Minority Tradition". In van der Linden, Marcel; Thorpe, Wayne (eds.). Revolutionary Syndicalism: an International Perspective. Aldershot: Scolar Press. pp. 59–79. ISBN 0-85967-815-6.
  4. ^ Secretariat (5 December 2016). "Statement of the XXVI Congress". International Workers' Association. Archived from the original on 7 December 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  5. ^ "Founding of a New International". Freedom News. 12 May 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  6. ^ Peter Nowak (6 January 2017). "Flexibel ausgeliefert". nd-aktuell.de (in German). Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  7. ^ ""20 Euro für den ganzen Tag"". Deutschlandfunk Nova (in German). 5 May 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  8. ^ Georgia Palmer (2017). "Foodora & Co.: Die Revolte der neuen Dienstbotenklasse". Blätter für deutsche und internationale Politik (in German). Blätter Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  9. ^ Nina Scholz, Mirjam Kid (4 July 2017). "Urbanes Prekariat Food-Kuriere gehen auf die Barrikaden". Deutschlandradio Kultur (in German). Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  10. ^ Simone Brannahl (29 September 2017). "Kuriere am Limit?". Arte (in German). Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  11. ^ fbu (13 March 2019). "Lieferfahrer demonstrieren für bessere Arbeitsbedingungen". Leipziger Volkszeitung (in German). Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  12. ^ Bernd Kramer (27 October 2017). Kurierfahrer: Der Arbeitskampf begann bei WhatsApp | ZEIT Arbeit. Hamburg: Die Zeit. ISSN 0044-2070. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  13. ^ Marcel Kolvenbach (6 November 2020). ""Ein Klima der Angst"". Tagesschau (in German). Archived from the original on 6 November 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  14. ^ Michael Kees (27 October 2020). "Ausgeliefert - Arbeitnehmer werfen Durstexpress Vertragsbruch vor". kreuzer online. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  15. ^ ""Darum müssen wir zusammen kämpfen!" – Interview mit einem Fahrer von Durstexpress". Perspektive Online (in German). 10 February 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  16. ^ Timm Kühn (16 June 2021). "Wild bestreikt". taz (in German). Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  17. ^ Felix Sassmannshausen (21 June 2021). "Es rumort bei Dominos in Leipzig". kreuzer online (in German). Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  18. ^ Benjamin Kirchhoff (28 July 2021). "Gefeuert wegen Schnelltests". Junge Welt (in German). Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  19. ^ Leon Grüninger (15 August 2021). "Radikaler Kampf um Löhne". Youtube (in German). MDR Exactly. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  20. ^ "FAU Magdeburg setzt Lohnnachzahlung gegen Domino´s Pizza durch – Allgemeines Syndikat Magdeburg" (in German). Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  21. ^ David Maiwald (29 November 2022). ""Das scheint der Lieferdienst gezielt auszunutzen"". Junge Welt (in German). Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  22. ^ Sarah Emminghaus: Ein Fall, der zum Himmel stinkt. In: taz.de. 14. April 2015, accessed on 26 April 2015.
  23. ^ "Dauer-Protest der Mall-Bauarbeiter". B.Z. (in German). 25 November 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  24. ^ "Arbeiter der "Mall of Berlin" fordern ihren Lohn". B.Z. (in German). 7 December 2014. Archived from the original on 11 August 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  25. ^ Dennis Pesch: Wild streiken statt Spargel ernten. In: Jungle World. 28. Mai 2020, accessed on 22 July 2020.
  26. ^ Béla Csányi: Spargel-Chaos in Bornheim zeigt, warum wir als Kunden schuld sind. In: Express, 27. Mai 2020, accessed on 22 June 2020.
  27. ^ Carsten Fuchs (5 November 2015). "Anarchos gegen Steuerzahler". Jungle World (in German). Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  28. ^ Jennifer Stange (1 June 2018). ""Den Profit steckt der Boss ein"". kreuzer online (in German). Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  29. ^ jW (27 April 2021). "Gewerkschaft FAU setzt Lohnzahlung durch". Junge Welt (in German). Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  30. ^ Ulrike Kirsten (27 February 2014). "Kellnern in der Neustadt ist ein Knochenjob". Sächsische DE (in German). Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  31. ^ Hauke Heuer (22 February 2014). "Klassenkampf in linker Szenekneipe - das "Trotzdem" in der Neustadt wird bestreikt". DNN (in German). Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  32. ^ Carsten Fuchs (5 November 2015). "Anarchos gegen Steuerzahler". Jungle World (in German). Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  33. ^ Daniel Herbstreit (11 July 2015). ""Einfach die Zwiebeln verschwinden lassen"". Zeit.de. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  34. ^ Die FAU und Betriebsratswahlen: Pro-Contra-Diskussion in der Direkten Aktion in den Ausgaben Januar/Februar und März/April 2008 (accessed 26 January 2011).
  35. ^ Verfassungsschutzbericht 2013 (PDF; 3.2 MB) Lower Saxony Ministry of the Interior and Sport, p. 141.
  36. ^ "Verfassungsschutzbericht 2019" (PDF). Federal Ministry of the Interior, for Building and Home Affairs. July 2020. pp. 120–121, 156. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  37. ^ Leon Grüninger (15 August 2021). "Radical Struggle for Wages". Youtube (in German). MDR Exactly. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  38. ^ (in German) Kazim, Haznain: Bestellboom gibt Fahrrad-Werkern neue Hoffnung. Spiegel online. Retrieved 7 February 2008; (in German) Fabrikbesetzer weichen dem Insolvenzverwalter. Spiegel online. Retrieved 7 February 2008; Greiner, Peter-Stefan: Das Letzte Archived 2007-11-18 at the Wayback Machine. Neue Nordhäuser Zeitung online. Retrieved 7 February 2008.
  39. ^ (in English) fau.org: Grassroots Union: Prohibited! Archived 2018-05-10 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 12 December 2009.
  40. ^ (in German) Boewe, Jörn: Koalitionsrecht verteidigt Retrieved 11 June 2010.
  41. ^ "Freie Arbeiter*innen Jugend - FAU Schweiz". faunion.ch. Retrieved 12 March 2023.

Further reading

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  • (in German) Prinzipienerklärung (PDF) The declaration of principles of the FAU
  • (in German) Statuten (PDF) Union federation statutes of the FAU
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