Migrants, Workers, Activists // Act! Demonstrate! Strike!
A day of coordinated initiatives against borders and precarization,
towards a transnational social strike!
#1M #TSS
Q&A:
Why a transnational day of coordinated actions against borders and precarization in Europe?
Because national social and labour policies are placed inside a European framework, precarity is organized along transnational chains of production and exploitation and migrant labour and migrants’ mobility are challenging the European order and austerity regime as never before. While the EU and its member States are struggling to control and govern mobility for the sake of profit, we need to experiment new forms of transnational organization and action. We don’t want to save this Europe, but we refuse the idea that national sovereignty can be a solution in the direction of freedom against exploitation. We don’t want to save Schengen by securing external borders, we want freedom of movement for all. For these reasons, we will take a stance on the side of migrants and we will claim a European visa without restrictions.
Why the 1st of March?
Because on the 1st of March 2010, after a call from France to organize a migrants’ «24 hours without us», in Italy a nationwide political strike against the immigration law was organized by a broad coalition. From that day, we take the strength of migrant labour and its capacity of being the point of connection among different places and conditions. On the 1st of March we want to take back the idea of the migrant strike and extend it to all the social figures that are suffering the austerity measures and border regime today, since only creating a large social front we can have the strength to fight for our rights.
Why now?
The blackmailing against Greece and the so called “refugee crisis” have shaken Europe: it is now time to bring the voice of migrants and the refusal of the attempt to reorganize Europe along the nexus between a stricter government of mobility, the austerity regime and more precarization of all. For doing this, it is now the moment to take a clear stance and to overcome the borders of usual politics and labor disputing, even among social movements and unions.
Is it just another European day of action as we have already seen in the past?
The 1st of March will not be a day of action like others: it will be the first experiment of a longer process towards a transnational social strike across Europe and towards the demand of common claims. These claims can be a European minimum wage, a European basic income and welfare system based on residence, a European residence permit independent from labour contract and income levels.
What is going to happen the 1st of March?
Depending on local conditions, the 1st of March 2016 will be a day of decentralized and coordinated actions and strikes, aimed at disrupting regular production and reproduction, producing communication among different working conditions, making visible hidden situations of exploitation, targeting the border regime and the institutions that govern mobility and precarity. Be the 1st of March 2016 the day when we take a clear stance against a government of mobility that produces precarity for all. A day when we find common demands and claims.
Where is it going to happen the 1st of March?
To date, more than 20 cities across nine countries (Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, England, Poland, Scotland, Slovenia), both inside and outside the Schengen space, have announced actions and demonstrations. More will join in the following days! See the complete list below. We will use the hastags #1M and #TSS to connect the different actions.
What is a transnational social strike?
The strike is transnational and social when it is able to cross the established borders of activism and syndicalism, countries and sectors, moving across society and workplaces outside the traditional forms of organization, addressing the political conditions of exploitation and the social questions. What we want is to take back the strike as a weapon of insubordination.
What is the Transnational Social Strike Platform?
The transnational social strike platform is not a collective nor a coordination among the proposing groups, but a political platform with the goal of involving more groups and people across Europe and beyond towards the common goal of a transnational social strike. We have neither identity nor a past to defend, but just an open process to storm the present.
How can I get more information or join the process?
The TSS platform has a website and a Facebook page for external communication.
https://www.transnational-strike.info/
https://www.facebook.com/Transnational-Social-Strike-413351912201395/
Internal communication works through a dedicated mailing list. If you want to join, please write to info.transnationalstrike@autistici.org
List of initiatives planned so far:
- Benevento (Italy): action TBA. Contact: Centro Sociale Autogestito Depistaggio.
- Berlin (Germany): city walks on precarious working conditions, meeting point Potsdamer Platz @4.30pm. Evening assembly at Oranienplatz, 7pm. Contact: Berlin Migrant Strikers. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/608991909253838/.
- Bielefeld (Germany): making the unvisible visible. Contact: Solidarity not precarity project: http://www.solidarity-not-precarity.eu/
- Bologna (Italy): Migrants’ First of March against borders and precarization. Rally starting from 5pm @Piazza Nettuno. Contact: Coordinamento Migranti Bologna. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1563206103998699/ ; 6pm @Piazza Nettuno, “Our dignity not your frontiers!” Contact: TPO Facebook: https://www.
facebook.com/events/ 902419846500109/ - Dresden (Germany): communicative action through bus and train stations in the morning. Rally starting 3pm @Albertplatz with discussion on political strike. Contact: FAU Dresden.
- Edimburgh (Scotland): Carnival of resistance at the Duke of Wellington Statue, meeting point @6pm. Contact: Migrants’ Solidarity Network. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1690874814528792/.
- Empoli (Italy): mobilization announced, action TBA. Contact: Csa Intifada. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/896346787151728/.
- Foggia (Italy): demo of migrants’ agricultural workers on 29th February, 9.30pm @Pronao Villa Comunale Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/188902411477651/
- Frankfurt (Germany): Precarious Stations: Making precarious life and work visible. City walk and gathering. Meeting point for city walk 3pm at Kaisersack. “Gathering of the precarious“ from 7pm to 9.30pm, meeting point @KOZ Café, Studierendenhaus, Campus Bockenheim. Contact: PrekärLab Frankfurt, frankfurt_lab@riseup.net
- Göteborg (Sweden): actions TBA. Contact: Allt åt Alla
- Glasgow (Scotland): surprise interventions on labour and precarization.
- Ljubljana (Slovenia): action on migration and precarity, austerity and border regimes. Details: TBA. Contact: Antiracist Front without Borders (https://www.facebook.com/FrontaBrezMeja/?fref=ts).
- Malmö (Sweden): solidarity actions TBA. Contact: Allt åt Alla
- Milan (Italy): For a first of March against border and precarization. Rally starting from 6pm @Piazza Duca d’Aosta. Contact: Soy Mendel. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1688877904721270/
- Münich (Germany): demonstration by and with homeless EU-migrants on the right to housing for all “we want to live”. Starting point 10 a.m. at Schillerstr. 25 and lead to Marienplatz. Contact: Wir wollen wohnen. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Wir-wollen-wohnen-1222768504405350/?fref=ts
- Napoli (Italy): First of March for all! Details TBA. Contact: Nablus – Scuola di Migranti, LOSKA.
- Paris (France): communication actions on the Transnational Social Strike process. Meeting point 5pm @Fontaine des Innocents (Chatelet les-Halles). Contact: Union syndacale Solidaires. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=479573562245896&id=413351912201395
- Poznan (Poland): picket in front of Adecco at 12:00! Against temporary agencies and precarity! Against borders! For the rights of migrants, precarious and industry workers! Contact: Inicjatywa Pracownicza.
- Rimini (Italy): rally “our life, your borders! For the Europe we want!”, @Piazza Cavour, 6pm. Contact: casa madiba network. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1555328734781421/
- Rome (Italy): morning sit-in in front of the local Prefettura at 10am. Rally “no borders, rights for al” in the afternoon @Piazza Vittorio from 6pm to 9pm. Contact: Laboratorio romano per lo sciopero sociale. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1172745826083372/
- Stockholm (Sweden): house warming party @Ikea. Contact: Allt åt Alla Stockholm.
- England: actions TBA in several cities across England. Contact: Plan C
- Vienna (Austria), event about the situation in France. Contact: Precarity Office.
- Warsaw (Poland): action on temp agencies TBA. Contact: Inicjatywa Pracownicza.
