Building a New Movement: What roles for community struggles, trade unions and political parties? The 2014 April Conference Community House, Salt River, Cape Town 11 and 12 April 2014 INVITATION Dear Comrades You are invited to send delegates to the ILRIG April Conference. The April Conference is an annual gathering of activists to debate contemporary challenges facing the trade unions and social movements in South Africa and elsewhere. In discussing the ongoing community protests across the country some have called this a movement of the poor. After Marikana and the strike wave some have been declaring that the seeds of a new movement have been sown. Equipped only with the notions of political parties, trade unions and other such organisational forms many on the Left have been ill-equipped to grapple with the meaning of this notion of a movement. The decision of the December Special Congress of the National Union of Metal Workers of SA (NUMSA) to cut ties with the ANC’s Tripartite Alliance comes against the backdrop of an upsurge in this nearly 12-year “movement of the poor”. In January 2014 NUMSA held a national political school which culminated in an “Expo” of forces of resistance – to which activists and communities who have been active in the “service delivery struggles” were invited. This was part of NUMSA’s declared commitment to what it calls a “United Front from below”, and building a Movement for Socialism. With the General Elections scheduled for 7 May 2014 activists have debated whether to vote or boycott. Other activists have formed Left political parties – with eyes on either this or the next elections. In building a new movement we are faced with important strategic and tactical questions – of uniting struggles, of building organisation; of developing a political vision; of building a woman’s movement; and of the roles of trade unions, self-organisation; political parties and of tactics such as ‘the united front”. The 2014 April Conference will bring together activists from communities and workers involved in new forms of self-organisation to discuss and debate these questions.

Conference invite 2014

Download DOC Report

Upload
cde-anele
View
212
Download
0

Embed Size (px)

DESCRIPTION

Citation preview

Building a New Movement: What roles for community struggles, trade unions and political parties?

The 2014 April ConferenceCommunity House, Salt River, Cape Town

11 and 12 April 2014INVITATION

Dear Comrades You are invited to send delegates to the ILRIG April Conference. The April Conference is an annual gathering of activists to debate contemporary challenges facing the trade unions and social movements in South Africa and elsewhere.

In discussing the ongoing community protests across the country some have called this a movement of the poor. After Marikana and the strike wave some have been declaring that the seeds of a new movement have been sown. Equipped only with the notions of political parties, trade unions and other such organisational forms many on the Left have been ill-equipped to grapple with the meaning of this notion of a movement.

The decision of the December Special Congress of the National Union of Metal Workers of SA (NUMSA) to cut ties with the ANC’s Tripartite Alliance comes against the backdrop of an upsurge in this nearly 12-year “movement of the poor”.

In January 2014 NUMSA held a national political school which culminated in an “Expo” of forces of resistance – to which activists and communities who have been active in the “service delivery struggles” were invited. This was part of NUMSA’s declared commitment to what it calls a “United Front from below”, and building a Movement for Socialism.

With the General Elections scheduled for 7 May 2014 activists have debated whether to vote or boycott. Other activists have formed Left political parties – with eyes on either this or the next elections. In building a new movement we are faced with important strategic and tactical questions – of uniting struggles, of building organisation; of developing a political vision; of building a woman’s movement; and of the roles of trade unions, self-organisation; political parties and of tactics such as ‘the united front”. The 2014 April Conference will bring together activists from communities and workers involved in new forms of self-organisation to discuss and debate these questions.

Please join us in our 2-day deliberation on the meaning of Building a New Movement The purpose of the meeting is to share experiences and to draw common lessons for the task of movement building. We will be glad if the your forum accepts this invitation. ILRIG will take care of transport and accommodation.

Organisation: _________________________________________________________________

Name (as in your ID)

Surname ID Number Tel Fax Email