Some anarchists now see anarcho-syndicalism as obsolete and workerist. This has much more to do with their own perceptions of society and of anarcho-syndicalism than has to do with the real nature of anarcho-syndicalism.
Industry is still a dominant force in western societies and is becoming increasingly important in third world societies. The workplace is a vital site for struggle against exploitation, as well as for the preservation and improvement of the working and living conditions of workers. It is also vital for the setting up of the structures that can create revolutionary change through taking over, self-managing and transforming production for real social needs. With the increased complexity of modern societies and the huge increase in the role of the state in economic an social life (eg: subsidisation of business, 'welfare', environmental 'controls', public housing and transportation, etc.) it is increasingly difficult to separate purely industrial struggles from broader community struggles. Many anarcho-syndicalists see much value in addressing the relationship between these sorts of struggles. This is discussed in greater depth later in this pamphlet.
Anarcho-syndicalist groups and union have always included un-waged workers - unemployed people, houseworkers, pensioners, prisoners and others. Anarcho-syndicalists recognise that these people have to, or have had to, labour to live. They are part of the reserve labour force to be used when economies are expanding and to be used against already employed workers where economies are contracting (strike-breaking, attempts to reduce conditions and wages, etc). Anarcho-syndicalists seek to break down the artificial distinctions between 'worker' and 'non-workers' created by the state to divide the revolutionary movement.
In Spain in the 1930's unemployed members of the anarcho-syndicalist CNT were among the most militant and active. In Spain, too, many anarcho-syndicalists were also involved as anarchists in the broader libertarian movement that involved the affinity groups of the FAI, rationalist schools, women's organisations and much more, as well as anarcho-syndicalist cultural activities and centres ('Ateneos'). Many members of the CNT rejected state and church involvement in their personal lives, preferring to live in a committed relationship with their 'compaņera' or 'compaņero' in the villages of 1930's Catholic Spain! At the 1936 Congress of the CNT, a broad sweep of issues form the collectivisation of heavy industry to the community responsibility for the care of children were discussed with regard to the coming revolutionary society.
Many anarcho-syndicalists today recognise this as an important part of anarcho-syndicalist history, and believe it proves that anarcho-syndicalism is neither obsolete or workerist.The bullshit pushed by the newspaper editors that workers (especially when they are on strike!) are somehow outside and against 'the public' should be emphatically rejected. With 40% of the people in this country in the paid labour force (and with many more people relying on their income) the workers are the public are the workers.