Autonomous Workers' Union

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Autonomous Workers' Union
Автономна спілка трудящих
Founded2011 (2011)
Dissolved2018
Location
Websiteavtonomia.net

The Autonomous Workers' Union (Ukrainian: Автономна спілка трудящих, АСТ) was a revolutionary syndicalist organization that was founded in 2011 in Kyiv. At the time of its founding, it included people who had participated in other anarchist, leftist, and trade union initiatives, including the Direct Action student union and the Independent Media Union. Later, bearers of illiberal Marxist views left the organization, which became consisted exclusively of anarchists and libertarian Marxists. As of 2018, the activity of АСТ was terminated.

Activities[edit]

A number of ACT activists took an active part in many social campaigns before the organization was founded, including a campaign against the Labor Code, which had been running since 2008. Similar draft labor law reforms were submitted to various presidents and governments, but all were criticized by left-wing activists,[1][2][3][4] and were blocked each time by protests. This experience, together with the experience of the campaign against the Law on Education conducted by the Direct Action trade union, became the impetus for the creation of the ACT.

ACT participated in a campaign against the law on peaceful assembly, which was lobbied by the Yanukovych administration and, if passed, would have complicated peaceful protests. The organization cooperated with the All-Ukrainian Coalition "For Peaceful Protest!", Which demanded the rejection of the relevant "Zakharchenko-Stavniychuk bill."[5][6][7] ACT also participated in other actions and campaigns: the campaign against the privatization of the railway,[8] the campaign against pension reform,[9][10] and the campaign against rising public transport prices, which later grew into a campaign for free travel. The organization participated in anti-clerical actions,[11][12][13][14] supported feminist[15] and anti-discrimination initiatives.[16] Students who were members of the ACT also engaged in protest activities at universities.

The organization repeatedly organized actions of solidarity with Ukrainian,[17] Russian,[18] Kazakh,[19] British,[20] Polish,[21] Turkish,[22] German, Belarusian, and Greek comrades in the international left movement.

ACT was a traditional co-organizer and participant in radical left-wing May Day marches in Kyiv and other cities.[23] It also took part in less radical street protests to protect the interests of employees.[24] ACT members were involved in labor disputes, providing informational and legal assistance to teams and employees who come into conflict with their employers. At the same time ACT was not limited to standard methods, using, in particular, the tactics of direct action.

According to the program documents of the organization, the ACT stood for the positions of class struggle, and their ultimate goal was the elimination of the capitalist system and the construction of a stateless classless society.

ACT during and after Maidan[edit]

ACT-Kyiv[edit]

At first, ACT-Kyiv did not take any part in the events of Maidan, justifying it by the influence of far-right parliamentary politicians and the presence of a far-right agenda. However, the ACT condemned the beating of students on November 30, and strongly opposed the laws imposed on January 16. It was after the adoption of these laws that many members of the organization individually decided to take part in the Maidan, mainly in humanitarian initiatives (such as shifts in hospitals). But some were on the front line, during the fighting on Hrushevskoho street and the final clashes of the conflict. ACT members supported the occupation of the Ministry of Education by students shortly after Yanukovych's escape.

AST-Kyiv became the first left-wing organization to hold a protest action in Kyiv against the new government.

AST-Kharkiv[edit]

AST-Kharkiv took an active part in the local Maidan protests, having more opportunities to integrate into its structure and voice its requirements. The Libertarian Ten, created by the ACT, played a role in ensuring the security of the local Maidan. In the summer of 2014, ACT activists occupied an empty municipal building, turning it into the "Autonomy" social center,[25] which was used to provide temporary housing to internally displaced persons from Donbas and to conduct educational and political activities. But due to a split in the team that took place in the fall of 2014, the cultural center began to operate separately from the local ACT.

Attitude to the situation in Donbas and Crimea[edit]

Both ACT cells dissociated themselves from the demonstrations in eastern Ukraine, defining them as far-right and reactionary. In their publications, ACT members pointed to Russian aggression in Ukraine and described the transfer of Crimea as an annexation. The organization opposed the forced mobilization on the territory of Ukraine, as well as the government's attempts to cover up the revocation of political freedoms and the dismantling of elements of the welfare state. The slogans "Against the devaluation of life" and "War will not write anything" became central at the anarchist rally on May 1, 2015, which was held with the participation of ACT.[26][27]

ACT structure and principles[edit]

The Autonomous Workers' Union had no leaders. All decisions are made collectively, by vote or consensus. Positions had an imperative mandate: persons who performed certain duties were elected and recalled in accordance with collective decisions. There were regional and branch unions in the ACT, made up of ACT-Kyiv, ACT-Kharkiv, ACT-Moscow and ACT-Dumka, which united employees of intangible labor.

The organization stated that it did not accept any form of nationalism, chauvinism, racism, discrimination on the grounds of sex or gender, age, sexual or cultural tastes. It supported feminist initiatives and the struggle of oppressed minorities for their rights. ACT refused to cooperate with the state, employers, political parties, religious denominations, right-wing and conservative organizations.

Related projects[edit]

  • Bezpartshkola (BPSh) was an open self-educational project founded by AST, which in 2014 included lectures, seminars and discussions on socio-political and cultural topics for a wide range of students.
  • Together with the independent student union Direct Action, weekly screenings and discussions of feature and documentary political, acute social and countercultural films were held within the framework of the Libertarian Film Club.
  • Part of the ACT assets were involved in the editorial board of the countercultural publication Nihilist.[28]
  • With the participation of ACT members, a publishing cooperative VK17 was established in Kyiv, which published anarchist books.
  • ACT members collaborated with some sports initiatives united under the name "Proletarian Cultural and Sports Association". In particular, training in rugby and martial arts was held.

Conflicts and criticism[edit]

Since 2012, the Autonomous Workers' Union has advocated the political separation of anarchists from the Social Democrats and other party leftists. They criticized not only Stalinist organizations but also other successors of the Bolshevik tradition, including Trotskyists. Subsequently, many Russian leftists, including KRAS and RSD, accused the ACT of Ukrainian nationalism and Russophobia for a number of members of the organization pointing to Russia as the main culprit in the Russo-Ukrainian War and wishing it more defeat than "their" state.[29]

In addition, the ACT has been criticized by Ukrainian nationalist organizations for its anarchist views. In particular, Ukrainian left-wing nationalists accused it of "national nihilism" and Ukrainophobia for denying the right of nations to self-determination and not recognizing the progressive role of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Трудовий кодекс спричинить нове протистояння біля парламенту". УНІАН. 13 November 2011.
  2. ^ "Автономный союз трудящихся сообщил о намерении пикетировать ВР". Корреспондент.net. 13 November 2011.
  3. ^ Десятерик, Дмитро (23 May 2012). "Звична розкіш". День.
  4. ^ "Під офісом Партії регіонів пройшов пікет проти нового Трудового кодексу". Незалежне Бюро Новин. 22 June 2013. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  5. ^ "В Харькове протестовали против ограничения свободы собраний". АТН. 12 June 2013.
  6. ^ "Харків приєднався до протестів проти заборони мітингів (ФОТО)". Харків.Коментарі. 12 June 2013. Archived from the original on 20 April 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  7. ^ "Под Радой протестовали против законопроектов об ограничении мирных собраний и пропаганды гомосексуализма (ВИДЕО)". INTV. 18 June 2012. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  8. ^ Наталия Бондарь (15 December 2012). "Приватизация железной дороги – последний аккорд в разграблении Украины". Politica.Ua. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  9. ^ Олександр Савицький (19 July 2011). "Профспілки вимагають скасувати пенсійну реформу". Deutsche Welle.
  10. ^ "Депутатов под Радой встречали лежа". УБОП. 5 September 2011.
  11. ^ "За митинг против крещения Руси грозят вечные муки". Взгляд. 24 July 2013.
  12. ^ Станіслав Козлюк (26 July 2013). "Міліція затримала 8 учасників протесту під Мистецьким Арсеналом". Тиждень.ua.
  13. ^ "Акцію під Мистецьким арсеналом розігнали, активістів затримали". Радіо Свобода. 26 July 2013.
  14. ^ Дмитро Десятерик (30 July 2013). "Велике, величне і жалюгідне". День.
  15. ^ Катерина Цибенко (19 May 2013). ""Дитина має з'явитися в сім'ї, а не сім'я через дитину"- анархісти і феміністки вимагали не забороняти аборти". Gazeta.ua.
  16. ^ Сергей Владыкин (18 June 2012). "Под Радой выступали за равенство и свободу слова. ФОТО". MIGnews. Archived from the original on 29 April 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  17. ^ "Киевские активисты пикетировали российское консульство". LB.ua. 12 August 2013.
  18. ^ Сергей Рулёв (6 October 2013). "Участники акции в поддержку Pussy Riot прилепили свастику к зданию консульства РФ в Киеве (ФОТО, ВИДЕО)". Новый Регион. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  19. ^ "Государство и капитал убивают! Акция анархистов у посольства Казахстана в Киеве". Социалистическое движение Казахстана. 19 December 2013.
  20. ^ "Під київським офісом Reuters пройшов пікет з вимогою підвищити зарплату лондонським прибиральникам (фото)". Українські новини. 21 March 2012.
  21. ^ Сергей Рулёв (3 July 2012). "В Киеве левые активисты пикетировали офис LG Electronics". Новый Регион.
  22. ^ "Украинцы поддержат турецких демонстрантов". Багнет. 18 June 2013.
  23. ^ "У містах України пройшли першотравневі демонстрації". Дзеркало тижня. 1 May 2013. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  24. ^ "Члени профспілок виступили на Майдані проти бідності". Відомості-UA.com. 17 October 2011.
  25. ^ Анастасия Голикова. "Самозахват: как в Харькове возник сквот для переселенцев". Theinsider.
  26. ^ "В Киеве схлестнулись националисты и анархисты". BBC. 1 May 2015.
  27. ^ "Анархо-першотравень закінчився сутичкою з "автономними націоналістами"". Громадське Телебачення. 1 May 2015.
  28. ^ "Нигилист.Ли". Нігіліст (in Russian). Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  29. ^ ""Олигархический переворот": как левые оценивают события на Украине".

External links[edit]

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