UASC -- Union of Anarcho-Syndicalist Communes / UNIONASC

Anarcho-syndicalists believe that direct action—action carried out by workers, as opposed to indirect action, such as electing a representative to a government position—would allow workers to liberate themselves.

Anarcho-syndicalists believe that workers’ organisations that oppose the wage system will eventually form the basis of a new society and should be self-managing. They should not have bosses or “business agents”; rather, the workers alone should decide on that which affects them.
Rudolf Rocker is one of the most influential figures in the anarcho-syndicalist movement.

Noam Chomsky, who was influenced by Rocker, wrote the introduction to a modern edition of Anarcho-syndicalism: Theory and Practice. A member of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), Chomsky is a self-described Anarcho-Syndicalist, a position that he sees as the appropriate application of classical liberal political theory to contemporary industrial society:

‘Now a federated, decentralised system of free associations, incorporating economic as well as other social institutions, would be what I refer to as anarcho-syndicalism; and it seems to me that this is the appropriate form of social organisation for an advanced technological society in which human beings do not have to be forced into the position of tools, of cogs in the machine. There is no longer any social necessity for human beings to be treated as mechanical elements in the productive process; that can be overcome and we must overcome it to be a society of freedom and free association, in which the creative urge that I consider intrinsic to human nature will in fact be able to realize itself in whatever way it will.’

The UASC says of its membership, “We make no distinction at the time of admission, we require only that you are a worker, student or unemployed. The only people who cannot join are those belonging to repressive organisations (police, military, security guards), employers or other exploiters”.

As a union organization, and in accordance with its bylaws, the aims of the UASC are to “develop a sense of solidarity among workers” hoping to improve their conditions under the current social system, and prepare them for future emancipation, when the means of production have been attained, to practice mutual aid amongst UASC collectives, and maintain relationships with other like-minded groups, hoping for emancipation of the entire working class. The UASC is also concerned with issues beyond the working class, desiring a radical transformation of society through revolutionary syndicalism. To achieve their goal of social revolution, the organisation has outlined a social-economic system through the confederal concept of anarchist communism, which consists of a series of general ideas proposed for the organisation of an anarchist society. The UASC draws inspiration from anarchist ideas, and also identifies with the struggles of different social movements. The UASC is internationalist, but also supports communities’ right of self-determination and their sovereignty over the state.