The term "syndicalist" refers to a type of trade unionism that seeks to overthrow capitalism through direct action and the establishment of worker-controlled industries. It is pronounced /ˈsɪndɪkəlɪst/ and is spelled using the letter "y" instead of "i" to reflect its French origins. The "y" sound represents the French sound "in," which is equivalent to the English sound "ih." The ending "-aliste" is also a French suffix commonly used to form nouns and adjectives related to political or social movements.
A syndicalist is an individual adhering to syndicalism, a socio-economic philosophy that advocates for the organization of society and economy under the control of trade unions and workers' associations. A syndicalist believes in empowering workers to control and manage their workplaces, industries, and society as a whole, without the need for separate governing bodies.
At its core, syndicalism aims to establish a system where workers collectively own and control the means of production, as opposed to private ownership or state control. This decentralized approach is seen as a means to eradicate exploitation, inequality, and the unequal distribution of wealth that exist in capitalist systems. By promoting direct action, industrial unionism, and worker solidarity, syndicalists strive for a society built on self-management, equality, and justice.
Syndicalists emphasize the importance of class struggle and view industrial unions as the principal agents of social change. They advocate for the use of strikes, boycotts, and other forms of direct action as a means to challenge the power dynamics between labor and capital, aiming to achieve improved working conditions, fair wages, and a transformation of society towards a more egalitarian and cooperative model.
While syndicalism has roots in the early labor movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, syndicalist ideas continue to resonate with certain groups and individuals today, forming part of broader discussions on workers' rights, economic democracy, and alternative models of social organization.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "syndicalist" originates from the French word "syndicalisme", which in turn derives from the term "syndicat" meaning "trade union". The word "syndicat" itself comes from the Latin word "syndicus", which refers to an advocate or representative. The term "syndicalist" was first used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to describe a member or advocate of the syndicalist movement, which emphasized direct action and revolutionary unionism.