7. FACTORY ORGANISATION AND WORKERS' UNION (2)
(Betriebsorganisation & Arbeiterunion)
The first Workers' Union (Arbeiterunion) as an integrated organisation originated in October 1921 following the lead of East Saxony which had already withdrawn from the KAPD in 1920. A national conference adopted on the suggestion of East Saxony the following founding principles of the AAUD-E (German General Workers League - Unitary Organisation) :
1. The AAUD-E is the political and economic integrated organisation of the revolutionary proletariat.
2. The AAUD-E fights for communism, the socialisation of production, raw materials, means and energies and of the necessary goods produced from them. The AAUD-E wants to set planned production and distribution in the place of the capitalist methods of today.
3. The ultimate aim of the AAUD-E is society without domination ; the way to this goal is the dictatorship of the proletariat as a class. The dictatorship of the proletariat is the exclusive exercise of the workers' will over the political and economic establishment of communist society by means of the councils' organisation.
4. The immediate tasks of the AAUD-E are : (a) the smashing of the trade unions and of the political parties, these main hindrances to the unification of the proletarian class and the further development of the social revolution, which can be no business of parties and trade unions. (b) The combining of the revolutionary proletariat in the factories, the embryos of production, the basis of the coming society. The form of all combination is the factory organisation (Betriebsorganisation). (c) The development of the workers' self-consciousness and sense of solidarity. (d) To prepare all the measures that will be necessary for the political and economic construction.
5. The AAUD-E rejects all reformist, opportunist methods of struggle ; it turns its back on all participation in parliamentarism and in the legalised works' councils, for these signify sabotage of the idea of the councils.
6. The AAUD-E fundamentally renounces professional leadership. So-called leaders can only be considered as traitors.
7. All functions in the AAUD-E are honorary.
8. The AAUD-E regards the liberation struggle of the proletariat not as national but as an international matter. The AAUD-E therefore works for the combining of the revolutionary proletariat of the world in a Councils' International.
With this programme of guiding principles, the AAUD-E in 1921 constituted itself as an integrated organisation. After two years' development, the Dresden local group took occasion to set down in the following programmatic and organisational principles its insights and experiences, which it had gained from uninterrupted struggles waged with the most extreme consistency :
1 The Origins of the Unionist (Arbeiterunion) Movement
The World War with its national and international effects in political, economic and cultural spheres brought in the age of revolution at accelerated speed.
The mounting collapse of the capitalist economy engenders as its consequence an ever increasing impoverishment of the working class.
This mounting impoverishment, as experience shows, no longer can be compensated through struggles for better conditions of pay or through legislative (parliamentary) reforms. It can only be eliminated through the elimination of the capitalist economic system itself and its replacement by the socialist-communist economy of need. As the winning of this goal through struggle can only be the business of the proletarian class itself, the demand hence arises quite naturally for the proletariat to give up all reformist methods of struggle and replace them with a resolute, revolutionary form of struggle, also organised differently. The victory of the revolution has as its pre-requisite the unification of the working class. Parties and trade unions, inclined by their whole nature to reformism, have proved themselves an obstacle to the necessary revolutionary unity. Centralist in their organisational structure, with the particular characteristic of professional leadership, these forms of organisation especially hinder the development of the proletariat's self-consciousness. Therefore the problem of unity became at once a problem about the revolutionary form of organisation.
The AAUD-E arose out of this knowledge and in accordance with the materialist concept of history by which changing economic and social relations necessarily imply consequent changes in organisational form.
2 Nature and Goal of the AAUD-E
Proceeding from the understanding that economic questions and political questions cannot be artificially separated, the AAUD-E is neither trade union nor party but the integrated organisation of the proletariat. In order to bring about the unified front of the proletarian class, the Union (Arbeiterunion) organises all the workers who profess its goal at the places of production, the factories. All the factory organisations combine in the Union (Arbeiterunion) on the basis of the councils' system.
The original transformation of the capitalist economy into the socialist-communist economy has as its pre-requisite the revolutionary expropriation of the means of production by the proletariat. The process of transformation can only be completed through the dictatorship, that is the exclusive expression of the will of the proletarian class. The instrument of the transformation is the revolutionary councils' system. The councils' system, according to which the Union (Arbeiterunion) is structured, ought to anticipate in the present the basic traits of the future councils' system.
3 Structure of the Betriebsorganisation (Factory Organisation)
The factory organisation elects from itself a number of shop delegates judged necessary according to its size and type of factory. They embody the particular workers council, which has to regulate all matters in agreement with the members. The leaders (workers' council) are to stand at a new election every quarter. Re-election is permissible. Every member is eligible. If several Union (Arbeiterunion) members are employed in one factory, they have a duty to found a factory organisation. Individual members organise first of all according to groups of industries or living areas, as also with relations between small factories. Autonomous small-scale firms, as likewise do intellectuals, organise themselves by dwelling areas. The area groups bear the character of interim organisations insofar as every member in one has to withdraw as soon as the conditions cited above are present for the founding of a factory organisation (Betriebsorganisation) of its own in his factory.
4 Structure of the Union (Councils' Organisation)
Every factory organisation, or dwelling area or industry group has to send at least one shop delegate to the local Heads-of-Councils body of the Union (Arbeiterunion). Larger factory organisations, and regional and industry groups send several shop delegates. Their number can be regulated from time to time according to a uniform schedule adapted to practical considerations. All three of the above organisations together form a local councils' group in a given place. All the local groups in a certain economic area form together an economic district. The local groups elect from among themselves a district economic council ; for the most part it acts as an information post for the district and is in addition executive organ for the tasks assigned to it by the district conference. Conferences arising from necessity are to be called by it whenever the situation at the time makes impossible a previously customary understanding among local groups. National conferences are to be dealt with likewise. Every local district group has the duty of being represented at the district conference. At least once a year a national conference has to take place at which all the economic districts, as far as possible, must be represented. The national conference elects a national economic council. Its character and its duties correspond to those of the district economic council, only with the difference that its activity extends over the whole area of the state. If necessary measures extra to its deliberations arise in the time between national conferences and they concern the Union (Arbeiterunion) as a whole, it must first submit them to the general decision process. National and district conferences only have their own right of decision insofar as general national or district questions respectively are concerned. In particular, such decisions must not transgress against generally acknowledged principles. By and large these conferences should serve to exchange experiences. All the shop stewards of the individual factory organisation (Betriebsorganisation), as of the Union (Arbeiterunion) as a whole, are recallable at any time.
5 Tactics
The AAUD-E fundamentally rejecting all participation in the elections to the legal works councils' committee as a consequence also rejects the delegation of Union (Arbeiterunion) members to this body, proceeding from the viewpoint that activity in the legal works councils effects an artificial masking of class oppositions.
From the recognition adduced under point 1, the AAUD-E likewise rejects on principle propaganda and agitation for partial strikes. Since the Union (Arbeiterunion), however, is at present not yet in the position to influence the development of the situation in its direction, the circumstance automatically arises that Union (Arbeiterunion) comrades will be drawn into economic strikes with the trade union orientated workers. In such cases Union (Arbeiterunion) comrades in work have to raise the necessary solidarity money by means of arranged contributions. The level of the necessary contribution for the time being is discussed and fixed in the meeting of council leaders and is in the form of a lump sum, equal for everyone, to be collected from every comrade and paid over to the local work committee through the head of the factory organisation (Betriebsorganisation). It is left up to each factory organisation (Betriebsorganisation) whether it collects a fund for such purposes or raises the contribution amongst itself from case to case. The decisive principle must be : "Whoever gives fast gives double !" If the necessity for solidarity to be applied arises for the whole region, the level of the necessary regional contribution is to be calculated by the appropriate regional body. If the application of solidarity becomes necessary throughout the country, the corresponding national body has to undertake its regulating in the same way.
All moneys collected are to be immediately handed over from the local labour committee to the regional or local group involved in the strike. The method of calculation follows from the plan that 25 comrades should support one comrade. The support rate should amount to 60% of a general average wage, taking into account of the fall in real wages.
Moderate or other comrades fallen into need in the struggle for our goal have an equal right to solidarity ; the level of the support rate at the time is determined by the nearest competent body, to which the contribution is sent.
6 Nature of Administration
All the money required for administration by the local, district and national committees is to be collected by way of contributions. All functions in the Union (Arbeiterunion) as a whole are to be performed on an honorary basis ; reimbursements are only accorded in cases involving loss of pay, or for fares and additional expenses necessarily arising for travelling speakers.
7 Membership
Membership is open to every man or woman who subscribes to the foregoing rules and principles.
The right of exclusion only belongs to the factory organisation (Betriebsorganisation) ; the eventual exclusion of a factory organisation (Betriebsorganisation), to the local Union (Arbeiterunion). A whole local or economic district can only be excluded by the national conference. Exclusions can only result when transgressions against generally acknowledged principles are in question.
Against all exclusions appeal can be lodged within four weeks with the next highest body, whose decision can be contested no further. Until the rejection of his appeal, the appellant is still a full member of the whole Union (Arbeiterunion) and the appropriate documents for elucidating the circumstances may not be withheld from him.
Every comrade always has the duty to take the liveliest interest in the question of principle, tactics and organisation of the AAUD-E ; the structural completion of the organisation and our power are thereby assured.
|
