What is Workers Solidarity?
Solidarity is simply a recognition of the fact that other people are in a similar social or economic situation to yourself, and acting accordingly. The principle is perhaps best illustrated by the old IWW slogan, “An Injury to One is an Injury to All.” Clearly, there are different types of solidarity. Solidarity amongst the ruling class takes various forms, one example of which is the blacklist, where employers create lists of troublemakers (that is to say, labour activists) and share them with other employers in the same industry, making it difficult, if not downright impossible, for that person to find work. This type of solidarity stems from the recognition of the fact that if a troublemaking labour activist can organise in one workplace, driving up wages and lowering profits, she or he can also do it elsewhere. And that simply will not do. The kind of solidarity we are concerned with, workers’ solidarity, involves a recognition of the fact that all workers are subject to the same s
