This is no time to retreat

The current popularity of the movement exceeds strict pension reform: everyone knows that it is one more attack more against our lives and, all combined with glaring inequality (the rich, bankers and bosses never so well protected by the State), it is the straw that broke the camel's back.

The pension problem is a small part of the whole and we must reject the politics of austerity completely because those in power may well drop a few crumbs on pensions but replicate these politics elsewhere.

In this context, it is obvious that only a struggle with sufficient strength can allow us to win. But the demonstrations are linked since the beginning and are always broadening their scope in terms of participants, but we are more inclined to say that this is not enough to bend the government.

The union bureaucracies and their increase of mobilizations days apart in time and limited to city centers may contribute to the weakening of the movement. Moreover, recently their own base has grown impatient and takes the initiative in some companies.

Since we are all affected by these attacks, and since demonstrations by themselves will not lead to victory, it is important to promote a form of struggle suitable for a gathering across generations and categories, bringing together workers in the private and the public sectors, the unemployed, students, retirees, etc.. Everywhere, general meetings must be held to allow everyone to meet, discuss and be involved in the fight already underway. Assessing this can help us choose actions and targets The struggle must be thought of first and foremost as a set of techniques, including the demonstration that should be the illustration of a struggle appropriate to our means, increasing the participation and support of the population, and bonds between people, while weakening those in power.

There are numerous types of action and some even offer opportunities for

involvement for those who may not strike at this stage of the struggle: walkout (stopping activity for a short time), going slow (some staff stops work, then resumes, while another part stops and so on), "leaking" (production being the least productive as possible), work-to-rule strike, flying pickets, occupations, blocking, food reappropriations, collections, concerts or support festivals, etc.. (this is developed in Methods of Struggle : Anarcho-Syndicalist Tactics).

Despite the speeches of barking politicians, despite police violence that we are
already experiencing and despite the procrastination of the union bureaucrats, whose role has always been to maintain social peace, we must break with the feeling of powerlessness. The actions of these days are perhaps the beginnings of a deep and massive movement against capitalist society, fundamentally unfair and unequal.

The emancipation of workers will be the duty of the workers themselves.
Let's build the general strike.

October 2010
CNT-AIT
Confédération Nationale du Travail – Association Internationale des Travailleurs IWA-AIT
BP 2010
14089 CAEN CEDEX
http//cnt.ait.caen.free.fr
cnt.ait.caen @ free.fr