Statute of the European Federation of Alternative Syndicalism — FESAL

Art. 1) Name and address of the organization

1. An international federation of workers is hereby constituted, with the name European Federation of Alternative Syndicalism (in short, FESAL). The FESAL has already been present, since September 2003, on the European scene in the Education sector, using the name FESAL-E. The creation of other sectors of the FESAL will be possible through the consent of the FESAL-E Assembly which, until such times as new sectors are created is hereby invested with the full rights of the FESAL Assembly and full entitlement to the name FESAL, which can be used indifferently together with FESAL-E.

2. The official address of the Federation is Via Tuscolana 9, Rome, and can be changed on the instructions of the Assembly.

Art. 2) Nature of the organization

The FESAL is a non-profit organization with syndicalist objectives. It is a federation based on the solidarity and self-management of the workers. Furthermore, it declares itself to be independent of political parties,

pressure groups, economic lobbies and anyone who wishes to suffocate the freedom and self-determination of the workers. Its aim is to promote the creation of the first European grassroots, alternative syndicate, totally independent of the partnership mentality of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). The FESAL stands for peace between peoples, the defence of the environment and the struggle against every form of discrimination.

Art. 3) Aims of the organization

The FESAL is constituted in order to:

• protect, defend and organize European and migrant workers and unemployed workers syndically and politically, together with the rights of these persons recognized by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

• promote and organize a front of action on a European level against capitalist and neo-liberalist policies;

• guarantee and promote individual and collective union and political rights and freedoms;

• struggle for secularism, pluralism and independence is the public institutions of civil society;

• promote self-organization and grassroots, militant syndicalism;

• combat the commercialization of culture and education, schools and universities;

• guarantee everywhere the right to an education and to the protection of students’ union and political rights without any discrimination.

Art. 4) Organization

1. The organ of the FESAL is the full Assembly of all member organizations, which is called with at least 30 days notice, through the members designated by the organizations themselves, such Assembly to meet at least once every calendar year in order to set out union policy according to the criterion of unanimity between the various member organizations present.

2. Administrative and representative responsabilities and administration are assigned by the Assembly when deemed necessary, to such people who, apart from being willing, also reflect general agreement. These tasks are temporary, recallable at any moment and in no way constitute privilege or power.

Art. 5) Finances

The FESAL is financed mainly according to the principle of self-taxation of the various member organizations. It is provisionally proposed that each organization contribute an annual quota equal, as a rule, to one month’s average net wage in the country in question. Management of the accounts will be rotated every two years with each member organization taking its turn.

Art. 6) Legal responsibility

All responsibility and obligations of the FESAL remain solely the concern of its social patrimony. All personal responsibility of its members, either individually or as organizations, is excluded.

Responsibility for the external political representation of the FESAL is assigned by rotation, country by country, every two years to a member nominated by one of the member organiztions, designated by the Assembly of each sector of the FESAL according to Article 4. The Assembly is called by the representative thus nominated or by at least two member organizations.

Art. 7) Statutary changes

Modification of this Statute is possible at Assembly through the unanimity of all member organizations and does not require further legal documentation.

Art. 8) Regulations

With regard to everything that is not established herein, the Assembly of the FESAL can provide itself with specific regulations for its functioning. Decisions regarding this must be made unanimously in Assembly.

Art. 9) Membership and dissolution

1. Until the first congress, those organizations who demonstrate their goals to be those of the federation may join the project. Following the first congress, the unanimity of the Assembly will be required.

2. Every member organization can leave the FESAL by communicating its intention to do so at least 30 days beforehand and by providing reasoned written motivations. Any organization that leaves will retain its own patrimony and prerogatives.

3. The FESAL may be dissolved on the unanimous vote of an Assembly called for that purpose.

Rome/Lisbon, 20 February and 18 September 2005

CIB-UNICOBAS, Italy
SIP, Switzerland
SISA, Switzerland
CGT Enseñanza, Spain
SUD Education Paris, France
SUD Education Grenoble, France
Colectivo FESAL-E, Portugal
FESAL-E Studenti, Italy
Collettivo FESAL-E, Slovenia
Si Può Orsa Università, Italy
FESAL-E Collective, France
FESAL-E Collective, Norway