ASF-IWA

Basis for Federation
(Incorporating Aims and Principles)

The Anarcho-Syndicalist Federation is a libertarian workers movement organised according to anarcho-syndicalist principles. We aim to create a society based on liberty, mutual aid, federalism and self-management.

We believe the working class and the employing class have nothing in common. Between these two classes a struggle must go on until the workers of the world organise as a class, take possession of the earth and the machinery of production and abolish the wage system.

In the present we take an active part in the struggle for worker solidarity, shorter hours, immediate wage increases and improved working conditions. And we actively oppose all attacks on workers such as conscription of labour, strike breaking, drives for increased production and longer working hours, wage cuts or unemployment.

We want worker/community self-education for complete self-management of production, distribution and social organisation. This will come about by worker/community expropriation of wealth and the creation of alternative economic systems.

We are opposed to all economic and social monopoly. We do not seek the conquest of political power, but rather the total abolition of all state functions in the life of society. Hence we reject all parliamentary activity and other collaboration with legislative bodies. We believe in fighting organisations in the workplace and community, independent of, and opposed to all political parties and Trade Union bureaucracies.

Our means of struggle include education and direct action. To ensure the full participation of all in both current struggle and the future self-management of society, we oppose centralism in our organisations. We organise on the basis of Libertarian Federalism that is from the bottom up without any hierarchy and with full freedom of initiative by both local and regional groups. All co-ordinating bodies of the Federation consist of recallable delegates with specific tasks determined by local assemblies.

We see the world as our country, humanity as our family. We reject all political and national frontiers and aim to unmask the arbitrary violence of all governments.

We oppose racism, sexism, militarism, religion, and all ideologies and institutions that stand in the way of equality and the right of people everywhere to control their own lives and their environment. We support the struggle of the aboriginal people for self-determination and land rights.

We defend the earth, skies and waters and all flora and fauna from pollution and exploitation by capitalists, militarists and Government.

Statutes of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Federation
(Organisational Agreements)

1. NAME

This organisation shall be known as the Anarcho-Syndicalist Federation.

2. GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF ORGANISATION

(1) All decisions are made after full debate by all members meeting in assembly.

(2) All locals have full freedom to initiate actions in their own name at local and regional levels.

(3) No organisational positions to have any executive powers. All delegated and other organisational positions to be elected and recallable at any time. The maximum term of tenure for all positions to be six months.

3. STRUCTURE

A. GENERAL MEMBERSHIP

(1) Membership of the ASF shall be open to all workers, employed or not.

(2) No member of the ASF shall be:
a) A paid official of a trade union or a craft union, or an office-bearer of a political party or religious organisation.
b) Someone who has powers of hiring and firing in their occupation.

(3) All new members in agreement with the Basis for Federation and who agree to abide by the Organisational Agreements of the ASF, join by paying dues to their nearest local Finance Delegate.

(4) All members shall have an equal voice and an equal part in decision-making within the Federation.

B. LOCALS

(1) Members shall organise themselves into industrial or geographical locals. These locals are the main ongoing forum for debates and the major focus for agitation. No person shall be a member of more than one Local.

(2) To apply for affiliation a Local must meet the following conditions:
a) Meet in assembly regularly, at once a month minimum.
b) Have an elected Local Secretary and Finance Delegate.
c) Make available a permanent and public postal address.
d) Agree to pay Federation dues on a regular basis.
e) Be sponsored by another affiliated Local.

(3) To be accepted as an affiliated Local, the Local must be accepted by all other ASF Locals.

(4) No Local may have less than three members. Whenever a Local falls below that number, the remaining members shall return all funds and supplies to the ASF Secretariat.

(5) All Locals shall receive the help and support of the organisation in times of hardship and trouble.

(6) Locals who choose the leave the ASF are asked to notify the organisation through the Internal Bulletin.

C. REGIONAL & INDUSTRIAL FEDERATIONS

(1) Affiliated Locals may form regional or industrial Federations with other Locals of the ASF in their region or industry.

(2) Regional and industrial Federations will determine their own structure, meeting times, activities and tasks, delegation processes and finances.

4. ORGANISATIONAL POSITIONS & GROUPS

A. ASF SECRETARIAT

(1) At each Congress an ASF Secretariat shall be elected, whose term shall run until the next Congress.

(2) All candidates for the ASF Secretariat must have been financial members for 12 months prior to nomination.

(3) The ASF Secretariat may at any time be recalled at a Extraordinary Congress. Such a recall to be initiated upon a proven intentional breach of duties as mandated by the Organisational Agreements and National Congress.

(4) In the event of the ASF Secretariat standing down between Congresses, a replacement will be immediately chosen by the their Local.

(5) The duties of the ASF Secretariat shall include:
a) The production and the distribution of the FederationÕs Internal Bulletin.
b) Responsible for the general ASF finances and to issue a yearly financial report.
c) Answer correspondence promptly.
d) The responsibility for maintaining close contacts with all the overseas organisations with which the ASF has friendly relations.
e) The sending of regular reports of ASF activities to the International Workers Association Secretariat.
f) Sending regular reports to the Internal Bulletin of all relevant communications received.
g) The dispatch of special ASF communiques to overseas addresses as directed.
h) The payment of international dues.
i) Send the Internal Bulletin to all English speaking sections of the IWA and to the IWA Secretariat.

(6) The ASF Secretariat may accept the assistance of extra secretaries to handle correspondence for particular languages.

B. LOCAL SECRETARY & FINANCIAL DELEGATE

(1) Each affiliated Local shall elect a Local Secretary and a Finance Delegate, who can serve only one term at a time.

(2)All candidates for Local Secretary and Finance Delegate must have been financial members for 6 months prior to nomination, except in the case of new Locals.

(3) Both the Local Secretary and the Finance Delegate may at any time be recalled. Such a recall to be initiated upon proven breach of duties as described in the Organisational Agreements.

(4) The duties of the Local Secretary shall include:
a) The collection, and tabling in Local assembly, answering and filing of all mail electronic or otherwise, addressed to the Local.
b) Responsibility for the taking and filing of minutes of Local meetings.
c) Reporting on activities to the Internal Bulletin.
(5) The duties of the Finance Delegate shall include:
a) The collection of dues.
b) Sending to the Federation Secretary all Federation dues received.
c) The issuing of a financial report each month to the assembly.
d) The notification to members of dues owing.

C. SPECIAL GROUPS

(1) Any 3 or more ASF members, not necessarily in the same Local may set up Special groups to pursue special areas of activity or concern not carried out by other groups of the organisation.

(2) The work of such Special Groups must be consistent with the Basis for Federation and the Organisational Agreements of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Federation.

(3) In order to operate as a Special group under the name of the ASF, those concerned must submit their aims, proposed activities and internal workings to the Internal Bulletin.

(4) A proposal for a new Special Group is accepted if all responding Locals agree. No response implies abstention.

(5) All Special groups must elect a Secretary responsible for correspondence.

(6) Non-ASF ASF members who are not hostile to the Federation may participate on an equal basis within the Special group.

5. FINANCES

(1) All members shall pay monthly dues. Dues for unwaged or low income members shall be set at a lower rate. The Dues rate to be set by each Congress.

(2) Locals may exempt persons in special need from paying their dues wholly or in part.

(3) All members shall be considered if their payment of dues has not lapsed for a period of six months. Non-financial members will not be eligible for any positions nor make any decisions in Locals or Congresses.

(4) At each Congress the proportional allocation of all funds collected shall be decided for the forthcoming period. Financial reports on all money collected and its allocation to appear regularly in the Internal Bulletin.

6. PUBLICATIONS & SEALS

(1) The ASF shall produce an Internal Bulletin to be issued monthly, unless lack of material or finances dictate otherwise. The IB will not be for general distribution, but sent only to financial members and to English speaking International Workers Association Sections and the IWA Secretariat. The ASF Secretariat shall be responsible for its production and distribution.

(2) Locals and Special Groups may issue in their own name Local and Regional papers, pamphlets and other publications.

(3) The ASF shall produce letterheads and seals for use by the ASF Secretariat. The design of any letterheads issued by any Special groups or Locals must be such that it is clear they donÕt represent the ASF as a whole Federation.

(4) All publications shall clearly state who they are published by.

7. DECISION MAKING

A. LOCAL

(1) Locals make decisions in their own name by methods of their own choosing.

B. CONGRESS

(1) A Congress of the ASF shall be held in order to make policy; choose the ASF Secretariat, set dues rates, initiate publications of the ASF, and make amendments to the Basis for Federation and Organisational Agreements of the ASF.

(2) Agenda items shall be proposed by Locals through the IB at least 6 months in advance of Congress. Late agenda items to be dealt with in the order received, time allowing.

(3) Agendas, Congress materials, Reports and other relevant information shall be circulated to all Locals by the Federation Secretary at least 3 months prior to the Congress.

(4) That delegates to the ASF Congress have written authorisation of their delegate status from their Local Secretary and Finance Delegate. A Credentials Group has the responsibility to confirm the identity and status of delegates to Congress. In situations where people attending Congress have no written delegate authorisation, the Credentials Group may take reasonable steps to ascertain their status and may decide to give them delegate or observer status.

(5) Congress is open to all members. Only Congress delegates from Locals may speak on behalf of those Locals.

(6) Congress proceeds according to the order in which items appear on the agenda. This procedure will be altered only if there is an urgent matter which requires consideration or action by Congress and a motion to alter the agenda is agreed to by a majority of Locals.

(7) Congress shall attempt to make decisions by consensus. When decisions cannot be made by consensus a Resolution Group shall be chosen by Congress. The Resolution Group shall consist of at least 3 delegates. The Resolution Group shall draw up a synthesis of the various positions for further discussion at Congress.

(8) If consensus on the synthesis is not achieved, resolution shall be reached by simple majority on the basis of one vote per Local.

(9) Each Congress shall set the date for the next Congress.

(10) All decisions and the full wording of resolutions to appear in the Internal Bulletin.

(11) All decisions to be ratified by Locals. Ratification is a recognition that correct procedure has been followed.

C. EXTRAORDINARY CONGRESS

(1) If a decision, due to extenuating circumstances, must be made as quickly as possible, an Extraordinary Congress can be held.

(2) An Extraordinary Congress shall be called by the ASF Secretariat if requested by no less than 2 Locals.

(3) An Extraordinary Congress is to be convened at the earliest possible opportunity after all Locals have been informed of the issue, enabling them to call emergency meetings and choose delegates.

(4) Extraordinary Congress decision-making will be the same as Congress.

D. DECISIONS BETWEEN CONGRESSES

(1) If a decision needs to be made between Congresses and does not require an Extraordinary Congress the following procedure applies:
a) A Local sends a numbered and dated proposal and reasons to the ASF Secretariat.
b) The ASF Secretariat sends the proposal and reasons to the other Locals and puts it in the next Internal Bulletin.
c) The Locals must answer within 2 months of receiving the proposal.
d) The proposal is accepted if all responding Locals agree. No response implies abstention.

8. CONFERENCES

(1) A Conference of the ASF is a discussion and can be called by any ASF Local or Special Group.

(2) Conferences are open to all members and accredited observers.

(3) Conferences can pass resolutions that are recommendations to Congress.

(4) Conferences shall be self-regulating regarding resolutions, structure, length of sessions and scope.

9. DISCIPLINE & EXPULSIONS

(1) Locals shall be responsible for the discipline of their members.

(2) Locals maintain the right to expel members found contravening the Basis for Federation and Organisational Agreements of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Federation.

(3) Reasons for expulsion must appear in the Internal Bulletin (Notification of Expulsion).

(4) Members have 30 days from the Notification of Expulsion, to submit their case to the Internal Bulletin.

(5) Members who are found to owe 12 months dues shall cease to be members.

(6) Locals can only be disaffiliated by a Congress decision that they have contravened the Basis for Federation and Organisational Agreements.

(7) All members of a Local that have been disaffiliated may apply for membership of another Local.

10. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

(1) The ASF shall be affiliated, to and shall form, the Australian Section of the International Workers Association (IWA).

(2) The ASF will develop friendly relations with other libertarian worker organisations both within Australia and overseas.

(3) The ASF will not enter into relations with organisations deemed by the IWA to be hostile to it.

(4) The ASF will do all it can to promote anarcho-syndicalism and the IWA within our immediate region of Asia and the Pacific.

(5) In order to help eliminate the language barriers which divide both our movement and workers everywhere, the ASF encourages the widest possible use of the international language Esperanto.

Adopted provisionally at ASF conference, Sydney, January 1986

Confirmed and amended at First ASF Congress, Melbourne, January 1987

Subsequently amended at Second ASF Congress, Melbourne, June 1988

Third ASF Congress, Sydney, January 1990

Fourth ASF Congress, Melbourne, January 1991

Fifth ASF Congress, Sydney, June 1992

Special Emergency Congress, Melbourne, October 1992

Adopted provisionally at ASF Reconstitution Conference, Melbourne, June 2000

Confirmed and amended at Sixth Congress, Sydney, June 2001

Seventh Congress, Melbourne, January 2003

Eighth Congress, Melbourne, February 2005