workers' councils

I think b. I really shouldn't have posted, though

(can't remember where I get this from, don't have all my notes at the moment...)
edit: 2 meaning of "council"
A An assembly of persons called together for consultation, deliberation, or discussion.
B A body of people elected or appointed to serve as administrators, legislators, or advisors

Maybe the answer is "either"

the term is pretty ambiguous and has been historically connoted with everything from austro-marxist revisionism to ultra-leftism. Basically, i think it refers to an autonomous organization of workers who elect a delegate to represent them. In specific contexts(russia 1905, Italy early 20's), workers councils have ezxisted as radical forces existing outside traditional representation(unions)...theres plenty of stuff on council communism onthis site, id check out stuff by pannekeok, gorter, castoriadis, and debord as the writing of these individuals tends to give good info on councils.

Yeah, it's been used to cover pretty much all the above as well as territorial based organisations not directly rooted in a particular workplace, depending largely on the context in which they developed and the specific situation they needed to meet - i.e in 1917 they had to deal with the almost total collapse of the infra-structure and food supply, whilst in others they developed out of military neccesity. I wouldn't get too hung up on them being one specfic form of organisation to be honest.

edit: there's some pretty appalling introductions in the AK Press reprint of Pannekoek's Worker' Councils that mistake 'Works councils' for 'Worker's Councils' as well...

really?

in that case it's official corporate policy to encourage communist activity, we're invited to put forward names for the works' council by a memo on the board near the drinks machine

Would you be totally shocked to hear it was Ken Cooates of the old labour bureaucrats/Ruskin Oldboys/WEA linked The Institute for Workers' Control...still pushing the same line as 40 years ago...

yes, i suppose, since i don't know who any of those people or organisations are (except for old labour )

Dogdy in what sense? Yeah, the tankies were pretty strongly represented, but it was all over the shop politically frankly.

Entirely possible - especially considering the interlocking agendas of elements of both, the more bureaucratically entrenched of the IWC participants in particular.

Isn't it a group of representatives elected by the worker's to manag the work place and decisions are made democraticly by the elected representatives. I think it is that.

I do remember that was a dire introduction, but I'm confused, is this the same guy that went on about his good work in the European Parliament? Chomsky's one was quite good, but he overtly conflates councilism with anarcho-syndicalism - which could be an interesting point if it wasn't so uncritical and liberalish.