The Inaugural Congress of ICL (International Confederation of Labour) was held in Parma, Italy, between 11 and 14 May 2018. As a result, we are happy to announce the formation of the ICL, an international working class organisation.
The ICL brings together a number of anarcho-syndicalist and revolutionary unions from around the world. It is born out of their desire for closer collaboration and to add an international dimension to their local work, which will allow them to coordinate with comrades around the world and make their struggles visible to a global audience.
Its main goal is to contribute to deep social and economic transformation worldwide.
The ICL understands that any development on the international level must be based on sound local foundations in the territories of the respective unions. This International aims to be a tool to coordinate this work and to further the growth and expansion of its member organisations and of their initiatives. In the years to come, the ICL’s primary objective will be to foster the development of working class struggles around the globe.
The ICL and its member organisations understand that there is an urgent need in the world today, as always, for a revolutionary project aiming at deep social, economic and political transformation. In the face of a looming environmental collapse, of a permanent crisis of capitalism, and of the upsurge of sectarianism, fundamentalism and the rejection of diversity in many societies and cultures across the globe, it seems obvious that a radical project for social transformation is required to overcome these evils. Any such development can only be of a revolutionary nature.
However, the ICL does not pretend to be the sole agent of such a transformation. Considering the nature of the crisis of civilisation that we face, the ICL acknowledges that these changes can only be carried out by a broader grassroots, non-hierarchical movement. The ICL’s intention is to contribute to this development, according to our means, from our field of action, which is economic and labour related. We look forward to cooperating with those active in other fields, such as ecologists, feminists, workers’ collectives, squatters and antifascists.
In order to define who we are and what we stand for, the ICL and its member organisations have agreed upon a number of principles, such as solidarity, class struggle, internationalism, horizontality and federalism, independence, direct action, antifascism, and the protection of the environment.
We welcome all anarcho-syndicalist and revolutionary unions to join us who are willing to be bound by our federative agreement, which is based on our principles and defines minimum standards member organisations adhere to. Those organisations wishing to join ICL but that have not reached the stage of being a formal union yet, can do so as initiatives.
The ICL does not recognise the artificial limits set by the borders of states. Therefore, more than one organisation per country can join the ICL, as we acknowledge that there can be many geographical, cultural or historical issues behind any given situation. At the same time, organisations that are active in more than one country, for whatever the reason, can also become sections.
In any case, all member organisations of the ICL have the autonomy to decide what other organisations they will work with, even on an international level. That is, they can and will develop working relationships with any group, member of ICL or not, that they consider opportune to achieve the goals required to carry their struggles forward.
As such, it is foreseen that the ICL and its member organisations will develop a wide range of contacts and working relationships in the near future. These can involve unions that are not part of ICL or any other organisations that share our revolutionary aims and our fundamental principles but that are active in a different field than ours.
We sincerely hope that the foundation of ICL, which we enthusiastically welcome, will encourage the development of a movement that is both revolutionary and transformative for workers across the planet. Without a doubt, this is the main goal of our International.
We invite all those who share our aims and principles to joins us in building this movement, and we hope to develop a collaborative and working relationships with all of you in the near future.
The future is ours! We are the future!
Long live the International!
The Liaison Committee of the International Confederation of Labour.
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