Who are we?
The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW, also known as the Wobblies) is a revolutionary union which aims to organise across industries, and along the chain of supply, emphasising solidarity and self organising among the working class. The union is run by its members, with no paid officials, thus ensuring control and direction at grass roots level, and avoiding ‘compromise’ or ‘accommodation’ which sells workers out.
The Technology Workers Organizing Committee (TWOC) is straightforward. It is a group of IWW members whose work is centred in the technology industry in one way or another. We are seeking to build a broad solidarity network and industrial union that wants to take on the biggest menace to the modern workers and society at large - large multinational technology companies who use their tools and influence to terrorise all workers in all industries.
Justice for all workers
Solidarity is at the core of our mission. We understand as anyone in the technology industry does, that what we do matters, but unfortunately for the more idealistic among us, it matters in all the wrong ways. Our energy and tools are being used to track, surveil, censor, terrorise, and otherwise harass citizens and employees who never agree to be monitored in this way. Our skills are being utilised to circumvent regulations and “disrupt” people out of stable employment.
But for a vast swathe of people in technology, we never agreed to this arrangement. We are deeply committed to technology, hoping that it might fulfil its promise to unlock human potential perhaps remove drudgery from peoples’ lives. Or at the very least, that it would provide stable employment with reasonable hours, conditions and pay. But as too many of us learn the hard way, owners and managers are all too willing to pit us against one another.
Owners and managers are all too willing to pit us against one another.
The lesson technology workers are learning is that we are no different to any other employee. We are all seen as “resources” and management wants to use up our potential just as they did on the floors of steel plants and meat packing industries in the past, and indeed today.
That is why we are putting out the call to all technology workers, whether you are a designer, programmer, QA, support staff, operations, networking… whatever your position in the system. We are here to help you organise for a better world.
Join Us
The IWW has members across all kinds of industries and has real experience in organising against some of the worst types of employers, be it in mining, textiles, agriculture or courier companies, to name only some examples. Our world wide perspective, developed over our 115 year history, has always taken into account the global nature of capitalism, and this approach is more relevant than ever given the increasingly ‘rootless’ nature of capital, often aided by the very technology which we see as potentially so liberating. The TWOC is organising across Ireland, the UK, France, Denmark, South Africa and the North America.
Contact us directly today techworkers@iww.org.uk
Title image "WEEE Man's head" by James Nash (aka Cirrus) is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 cropped, and logo overlaid
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