May Day Events in Warsaw

Just for information about what we have planned. We assume that most people have already made their May Day events, but last minute decision-makers are always welcome. J

Events last a total of 4 days: April 28-29 a conference, April 30 an action against temporary work and May 1 a demo and picnic.

April 28-29: Conference: Ideas and Actions: Workers’ Resistance for the New Millenium

Resistance. Self-organization, sabotage, strikes, solidarity. The conference will look to explore the various methods of spiking the capitalist system through direct action and workplace organizing.

The first day of the conference is intended for a broader public, hence the film program. J The second day is open for anybody present at the first day who shows deeper interest but will include some more details about concrete campaigns. Please note that a presentation may be added on Sunday: an update and more detailed information will be posted at www.konferencja.bzzz.net.
Conference Program
Saturday, April 28 11:00 - 18:00
11:00 - Opening Presentation. Why we are making this conference. Presentation of basic ideas. Panel.
11:30 - 12:15 Tactics for Workers in International Corporations. Theory and practice of resistance and organization. Strikes, sabotage, creating contact internationally and international campaigns. Speaker: Jakub Gawlikowski, Anarchist Federation and Union of Syndicalists. Followed by discussion.
12:30 - 14:00 Unions in Slovakia and critical reflection of the workers conflict in company SCP Neusielder / Mondi Business Paper and engagement of anarchists
in the conflict. Presented by Michal Tulik, member of Priama akcia (IWA/AIT Slovakia)
14:30 - 15:15 Creating horizontal unions. A critical look at hierarchical unions. Also reflections on class collaboration in unions. Mariusz Doluk, Union of Syndicalists, Anarchist Federation and editor of "Recycling Ideas".
15:15 - 16:00 Workers Cooperatives. How different forms of workers' cooperatives work and the differences between workers shareholder schemes, partnerships and cooperatives and Parecon. Problems of creating cooperatives in capitalist relations. Laure Akai, Anarchist Federation, Union of Syndicalists.
16:00 - 17:30 Film: The Take.
17:30 - 18:00 Discussion. End of Day One.
PARTY
SUNDAY April 29 12:00 - 18:00 *
(*An additional talk may be added. Updated information may follow.)
12:00 - 13:30 Presentation about the Automobile Workers in Slovakia and Poland. Discussion and presentations by comrades from Slovakia and Silesia with a view towards future actions.
13:45- 15:00 Situation in different countries. Discussion. Presentation of current campaigns
LUNCH
16:00 - 18:00 The goals and practice of anarcho-syndicalism in concrete examples. Information about the IWA and other existing formations.
International Participants are requested to register. Information about location and housing will be provided by mail. Send e-mail to: zsp000@gmail.com
April 30: Action against Temporary Work
The Labour Law is created by hypocrites in social partnerships with bosses. Despite the fact that each government has vowed to fight employer abuse against workers, each one then in turn creates a legal framework which allows for more and more abuse. One area is in the field of outsourcing and temporary work. We want to visit some of the worst abusers – firms and capitalist lobbying organizations – with a picket and information campaign. This is part of a larger ongoing struggle and is meant to highlight this issue and also to encourage workers to organize themselves and take action.
May 1: Demonstration and Picnic. The demo will stop at various places where speeches and happenings will take place which will highlight a number of key issues we are protesting about. Stops at the McDonalds' Recruting Center (against McWork), at the Ministry of Finance (against their shitty neoliberal policies), at the Work Inspectorate / Labour Court (to protest against breaching workers' rights) and at the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy. Picnic takes place near the picnic of crony capitalist former fake left ruling party and trade union bureaucrats.
For anybody who reads Polish you can see more here: http://cia.bzzz.net/warszawa_1_maja
May Day is being organized by the Union of Syndicalists, the Anarchist Federation (Praga section) and the group “Freedom, Equality and Solidarity”.