[Iyf-ct] FW: IWW in South Africa

Tue Feb 2 02:36:44 PST 2010

More on IWW... - does anyone know the dude and union he mentions - I am getting quite excited about this...

> Date: Mon, 1 Feb 2010 21:37:34 -0800
> From: davekloker at yahoo.com
> Subject: RE: IWW in South Africa
> To: mandymoussouris at hotmail.com
> CC: ghq at iww.org; redgrocer at gmail.com
> 
> Mandy,
> Please forgive the lateness of my reply to your last email. I am pleased to inform you that the International Solidarity Commission of the Industrial Workers of the World is officially supporting the formation of a Cape Town, South Africa branch. Forming a branch, which I believe requires six or more members, allows you to retain a portion of your dues for organizing and solidarity efforts in your area. 
> 
> The next steps are as follows. First, you can join the IWW at www.iww.org. Please contact the General Secretary Treasurer (GST) Joe Tessone about the specifics of forming a branch. I believe you also need the formal approval of the General Executive Board (G.E.B). I am Carbon Copying both Fellow Workers Tessone and Gaughan (my representative to the G.E.B.) on this email to ease communication. There emails are ghq at iww.org and redgrocer at gmail.com respectively. I strongly support you efforts and continue to want to support the formation of a South African presence of the IWW in whatever way I can. 
> 
> As you are deciding on organizing priorities may I personally suggest that you get in contact with Karel Swart of CSAAWU (Commercial Stevedoring Agricultural & Allied Workers Union). He is working with Ladismith Cheese workers on a fair wages campaign that includes a boycott. I marched with those workers this past summer and have since done solidarity work through our IWW branch here in California. You can reach CSAAWU at 10 Pine Crescent Hillcrest Blue Downs 7100. Their phone is (021) 909 3059 and email is info at ladismithcheese.co.za.
> 
> Again best of luck and welcome to the Industrial Workers of the World!
> Regards,
> D.M. Kloker
> 
> “Creating love is not for the soft and sentimental among us. Love is a tough business.” Alix Spiegel
> 
> 
> --- On Fri, 1/15/10, Mandy Moussouris <mandymoussouris at hotmail.com> wrote:
> 
> > From: Mandy Moussouris <mandymoussouris at hotmail.com>
> > Subject: RE: IWW in South Africa
> > To: davekloker at yahoo.com
> > Cc: "In your face" <iyf-ct at lists.resist.ca>
> > Date: Friday, January 15, 2010, 2:12 AM
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > Hi,
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > Thanks for getting back. Pitty we did not know you were
> > here would have been nice to meet and chat - hope you had a
> > good stay in CT although July is not the best time weather
> > wise.
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > At the moment we would not be in a position to start job
> > site organising, we think this would develop as things got
> > going. Our group, called In Your Face (IYF) is a
> > mixture of Anarchist and autonomists, it started last year
> > when I moved to Cape Town with an anti Election
> > campaign entitled NOPE, with the slogan 'our dreams
> > don't fit on your ballots' and has moved on to
> > running a really really free market every month and plans to
> > start basic economics training and run seminars and film
> > screenings. I am a supporter of Zabalaza, a South African
> > Anarchist group and before that was part of Bekisha Media
> > Cooperative with Nicole Ulrich, Lucien Van der Walt and
> > Michael Smidt and we all met comrades from IWW when we went
> > to the May 2000 CNT Pour un Autre Futur Rallye in
> > Paris. I have also worked in the union movement, specificaly
> > with COSATU in various capacities (mostly Training and
> > research) since 1993 - although do not any more, so I do
> > have some skills which can provide support.
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > Our group is made up primarily of workers in NGO's
> > and some unemployed people but we would very much like to
> > belong to a union. In the past I have both worked for and
> > been a member of COSATU but as you know COSATU is very much
> > a Nationalist union particularly since 1994 with its
> > alliance with the ANC and SACP, it has also, lost a lot of
> > its working class focus and shopfloor strenghth, choosing to
> > follow a more corpratist model of unionism. These are issues
> > with us and the main reason why we would not like
> > to join COSATU. IYF tasked me to look into the possiblity of
> > getting an IWW Chapter set up here and we would need to
> > discuss this in our group a bit more but the idea of
> > starting an IWW here comes, firstly from my belief in the
> > model and principles of IWW, which my comrades share. We
> > also think that our really really free markets would be a
> > good place to begin recruitment campaigns. Our group is
> > small at the moment and getting things going would take a
> > lot of work, so recruiting, we think would be an important
> > innitial step to build numbers and thus capacity.
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > In terms of what we would like to accomplish, we would
> > like, for ourselves andother workers, to have a union that
> > supports and provides space for libeterian thought and
> > practice, one which is not linked to any politial party, one
> > that REALLY challenges the Capitalist State and Capital but
> > first and foremost one that organises, supports and empowers
> > workers to engage with the problems and challenges they face
> > on a daily basis in their workplace and their lives. This is
> > the aspect which will require, at least innitially a lot of
> > time and support in terms of training and providing
> > knowledge of labour laws etc.
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > Sorry if this is a bit broad, vague, verbose and
> > structureless. I think from here I would need to sit down
> > and have a proper conversation, so that we can develop a
> > more formal plan and idea. anyway hope this helps.
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > Yours in struggle
> > 
> > Mandy
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> >  
> > > Date: Thu, 14 Jan 2010 09:59:39 -0800
> > > From: davekloker at yahoo.com
> > > Subject: IWW in South Africa
> > > To: mandymoussouris at hotmail.com
> > > CC: jkrpaniww at yahoo.com
> > > 
> > > Greetings,
> > > I am the chair of the International Solidarity
> > Commission of the IWW. I am very excited about the prospect
> > of an IWW chapter in Cape Town, particularly because I was
> > just there this past July. I would love some more
> > information as a next step in starting a branch. Are you
> > doing any job site organizing? What drew you to the IWW?
> > What would you like to accomplish with a branch in Cape
> > Town? I look forward to hearing from you.
> > > Regards,
> > > Kloker, San Francisco Bay Area General Membership
> > Branch, United States
> > > “Creating love is not for the soft and sentimental
> > among us. Love is a tough business.” Alix Spiegel
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > 
> > Windows 7: Simplify what you do
> > everyday. Find the right PC
> > for you. 
> > 
> 
> 
> 

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