The Syndicalist Registry of the SAC founded
Jun 4 2008
For you interested in what is happening in Sweden I have translated the founding document of the Registry. The Registry is an old syndicalist method that has been revamped for the 21st century and restarted last year. It is our prefered choice instead of a collective agreement that big unions use that results in unions degrading to reformism and policing their members to keep peace in the workplace. It works great this far, I would say it is a good tactic, especially in places where there are no big unions sabotaging conditions won by the workers this way.
The Registry wrote:
The registry method is a classic syndicalist method which founding principle is that a minimum salary is set on a particular work which no one is allowed to go under. If an employer offers a lower wage anyways he is blockaded.After a discussion the following principles where accepted by the assembly.
By this declaration of princples and goals the syndicalist Registry is constituted.
§1 The registry is a method for struggle in the hands of the working class to fight for it’s right, it’s autonomy and it’s freedom.
§2 In the Registry only elements of the working class and whose profession are not to opress the working class allowed. This means that in the Registry employers, police and let alone professional militaries are not accepted.
§3 All memebers of the Registry oblige to accept and follow the decisions that their local and their local section of the Registry has decided democratically.
§4 If the local section of the Registry or the local takes a democratic decision and seeking consensus on strike action it is a crime against solidarity not to follow your comrades and it is objectionable to scab.
§5 A blow on a comrade of the Registry is a blow on all comrades of the Registry and will be revenged in manners found to be most appropriate and democratically decided.
§6 The fundamental method of the Registry is direct action.
§7 The goal of the Registry is to create our own terms and that we the workers will practice self-managemnet and self-determination, preparing to take over the means of production in a society that is fair, equal, socialist and libertarian.
This declaration of princples and goals to formally start the Registry where adopted unanimously the 14th of october 2007 in the ABF-house in Stockholm by an assembly of 250 workers, mostly without permits to work and/or stay in Sweden.
Jun 4 2008
#2
Interesting.
Is the Registry an autonomous organization from the SAC? IE can one be a member of the Registry but not the SAC? Does the Registry have its own national coordination?
Jun 4 2008
#3
I am not so sure, but I have got the impression that you could - and anyway, the membership of SAC among the paperless workers is not so formal (correct me if I am wrong, Kattmannen). The practice is very including - that would mean that an SAC organizer might walk into a restaurant saying - One of our members are working here, I will not tell his/her name, but you have to raise all wages or you will be in trouble.
Jun 4 2008
#4
It is a part of the SAC, the people working their spare time with central administration (the actual registry) are working members but the workers affiliated are more or less loosely connected to it. Of course once an employer caves in, all workers at the workplace get the same registry conditions regardless if they are unionized or not. I mean if people are starting to set their own price on work instead of the boss doing it, it will, and is, getting support and start to spread so it is SAC initiated but have massive support by regular workers without papers. More and more join SAC as an effect but they don't have to be members of SAC to work with the Registry but they choose to join us anyways which is an indicator that they like it and they do it all by themselves so we don't mind. Earlier drives have been to "help" or to "organize" people from "poor parts of the world" and that have - of course proven not to work built up on middle-class guilt and all that... This is much better.
Jun 4 2008
#5
SAC are cool. 
Jun 4 2008
#6
Weeler wrote:
SAC are cool.
Yah, I especially like how they as a large organization of workers can develop radical practice and critique on their own, without a leadership of ideas to do it for them.
Jul 31 2008
#7
Great translation kattmannen.
I also translated a little "how it works" in another thread but I will post it here to keep the discussion where it belong.