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Free Workers' Union

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FAU
Free Workers' Union
Freie Arbeiterinnen- und Arbeiter-Union
Founded1977
Location
Members1.000 [1]
AffiliationsInternational Confederation of Labor
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), 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.

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

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).

The FAU was disaffiliated by the International Workers' Association in 2016,[3] and became one of the founding members of the International Confederation of Labour (ICL) in 2018.[4]

Strike Bikes

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.[5]

Free Workers' Union Berlin

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".[6] On 10 June 2010 the Kammergericht overturned the injunction.[7]

Free Workers' Union in Switzerland

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).[8]

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Notes and references

  1. ^ "Publikationen".
  2. ^ Arbeiterinnen is the female version of the male Arbeiter, both mean workers in English
  3. ^ Secretariat (2016-12-05). "Statement of the XXVI Congress". International Workers' Association. Archived from the original on 2016-12-07. Retrieved 2019-04-06.
  4. ^ "Founding of a New International". Freedom News. 2018-05-12. Retrieved 2019-04-06.
  5. ^ (in German) Kazim, Haznain: Bestellboom gibt Fahrrad-Werkern neue Hoffnung. Spiegel online. Retrieved February 7, 2008; (in German) Fabrikbesetzer weichen dem Insolvenzverwalter. Spiegel online. Retrieved February 7, 2008; Greiner, Peter-Stefan: Das Letzte. Neue Nordhäuser Zeitung online. Retrieved February 7, 2008.
  6. ^ (in English) fau.org: Grassroots Union: Prohibited! Retrieved December 12, 2009.
  7. ^ (in German) Boewe, Jörn: Koalitionsrecht verteidigt Retrieved June 11, 2010.
  8. ^ "Freie Arbeiter*innen Jugend - FAU Schweiz". faunion.ch. Retrieved 2023-03-12.

Further reading

  • (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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