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Dorset Group (soon to be Branch) Industrial Workers of the World Organizing and Activities Report

In the world of activism sometimes things can go a bit quiet but happily that is not true for the Dorset Group of The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW).

In the last few months Dorset IWW has experienced an exponential growth in membership as government cuts and anti working class oppression bites ever harder.

For those of you not familiar with the IWW we are a grass roots driven fighting union that is part of an international family of workers. Our organization is worldwide with its General HQ in Chicago.

Our nickname is the ‘wobs’ or ‘wobblies’. No-one really knows where this nickname came from. There are various contentions that can be readily accessed from a simple google search (other search engines are available).

The IWW is not a trade union but an Industrial Union that organizes across all trades and grades of workers. The IWW is open to all people regardless of race, gender, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity or none. It doesn’t matter if you are employed, unemployed, retired, disabled or just simply not working for whatever reason. The only bar to entry is anyone who as the power of economic well being over another worker. THIS IS NOT A UNION FOR MANAGEMENT.

The IWW is not affiliated to any political party or ideology and will not try and sell you cheap insurance or credit cards. We publicise ourselves as ‘One Big Union for all Workers’.

IWW branches throughout the world enjoy a large measure of autonomy in their activities unlike the more conventional Trade Unions who frequently dominate their local branches with top down rules from their respective hierarchies. An example of this would be a national trade union that negotiated a no-strike deal with an employer that prohibits local branches from taking autonomous industrial action if they think it’s necessary in a dispute.

Here in Dorset the last few months have been busy. With an increasing membership we have now petitioned IWW national for branch status (we are currently a group in the organizing structure part of Bristol General Membership Branch known as a GMB). Branch status significantly empowers us to undertake more work that is meaningful to Dorset.

Dorset IWW have scored some notable wins in various disputes with employers local, national and international.

Case study 1. A fellow worker was promised an employment contract with 20 hours guaranteed minimum work. The employer tried to dupe our fellow worker into signing a 0 hour contract. We saw through this straight away and challenged it successfully and the fellow worker was given the contract she had verbally agreed to.

Case study 2. A fellow worker was called into an investigatory hearing with her employer who tried to interfere in a private matter that was none of their concern. Our fellow worker approached an IWW rep for support and with this support was able to effectively conduct her own defence at the hearing. The result obtained was the lifting of her suspension with full reinstatement without loss of pay and a guarantee of no victimisation.

Whilst these results are good for the union in both cases the fellow workers conducted their own affairs with support from an IWW rep. This empowered the fellow worker to take charge of their own matters and achieve the result they wanted.

Nationally the IWW has achieved results as well. Liverpool IWW recently successfully convinced a sub-contractor of Liverpool City Council to pull out of the workfare program and in Sheffield The Steel City Wobs (Sheffield IWW) successfully obtained a much better deal in terms and conditions for the employees of a notorious local restaurant owner known for his bullying and rudeness to his workers. These concessions were won after a prolonged campaign of direct action pickets outside the restaurant in question.

Internationally the IWW has recorded many successes as well often in the face of an extremely brutal and violent backlash from unscrupulous employers. Historically the IWW was the first union to achieve the 8 hour day and the first union to admit women, black, asian and migrant workers to its ranks.

Because we are a grass roots union organized from the bottom up and not the top down being a member of the IWW does require commitment. Our office bearers are all unpaid volunteers (no office bearer in the IWW of whatever level is paid whether branch or national) who are frequently overworked so we do rely on fellow workers to generate initiatives in activities and arrange them where appropriate. This is all done on a consensual democratic model.

Dorset IWW has members in Bridport, Purbeck, Corfe Mullen, Bournemouth and Poole. In terms of resources there are 4 trained reps with varying degrees of expertise who form a branch wide casework team county wide. IWW reps can be asked to support fellow workers in their relationships at work or at the job centre. This includes accompaniment if appropriate.

We do encourage members to promote the IWW where they work or sign on but we do not expect fellow workers to take pointless risks with their organizing.

IWW subs are good value for money starting at £1 per month for the unwaged and related to the ability to pay. When you join no-one is going to audit you; we rely on your honesty to voluntarily pay the appropriate level of subs related to your economic circumstances.

For more information email [email protected]

The IWW national website is at www.iww.org.uk. Here you can read the unions mission statement and join up. There are a number of different ways to pay subs to suit most circumstances.

International HQ is in Chicago and can be reached at www.iww.org

For anyone with a specific interest in ecology and/or environmental issues ecology.iww.org is worth a look. Especially pertinent with the fracking and wind farm issues about to become current in Dorset.

Our mantra is ‘An injury to one is an injury to all’ and we mean it.

LETS GET ORGANIZED HERE IN DORSET IN THE CRADLE OF THE UNION MOVEMENT WHEREVER YOU COME FROM OF WHEREVER YOU WORK OR SIGN ON. UNITED WE ARE STRONG AND SOLIDARITY IS OUR MOST POWERFUL WEAPON.

Graham Horne

Secretary

Dorset IWW

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