The Solidarity Federation is an organisation of people seeking to improve our lives. We believe that the best way to make change happen is to do it ourselves and for that reason we seek to organise with others in our communities and workplaces, to stand-up for our interests against a system that traps and uses us.
By working together we have the power to improve our lives, but we recognise that any gains we make today can be taken away tomorrow and so we aim to put an end to this constant struggle through revolutionary social change.
To that end SolFed seeks the abolition of capitalism and the institutions of power that are associated with it. Our goal is to create a society centred on needs rather than profit, based upon the principle “from each according to ability, to each according to need.”
SolFed is a revolutionary union initiative: a means for people to organise their struggles in their workplaces and communities and find support. SolFed brings together people in all occupations regardless of industry, craft or trade — whether we’re employed or not.
We organise as Locals and Networks which are made up of people who take part in the group’s decisions, campaigns and activities, standing side-by-side in each other’s struggles and working to build a nonhierarchical culture of solidarity.
The way we organise reflects the free society that we want to create: one based on voluntary association, democratic participation and workers’ self-management. We oppose all forms of oppression, discrimination and exploitation.
We believe in the principle of direct action — that means doing something for ourselves and not expecting leaders or representatives to act on our behalf. This can mean working together to make a change or to force the hand of those who rule us.
SolFed is the British section of the International Workers’ Association founded in 1922 as a worldwide federation of organisations similar to SolFed. The roots of our organisation go back to just after the second world war and the Syndicalist Workers Federation (1950-1979) which dissolved into the Direct Action Movement (1979-1994), finally becoming the Solidarity Federation in 1994.