Why We Support Members in Defending Their Rights Through Legal Procedures

Because it is a platform, when mutual aid funds are involved it has to account to its members: it must be transparent and disclose information publicly. In each disclosure period, members raise all sorts of doubts, which keeps the staff under great pressure to ensure the disclosed materials are as problem-free as possible and that rules are followed strictly.

For mutual aid applications that are rejected, some members ask for leniency. This is very difficult, because at the time of disclosure it is hard to account to members and impossible to ask members to share the cost.

So as a platform we can only handle cases according to the rules—even if that looks rigid and inflexible. In fact, the goal is to ensure that everything has a basis and to resolve the question of how to account to members.

Legal procedures are also a way for the Commune to account to its members. If the Commune loses a case in which mutual aid was denied, then the Commune can openly and justifiably ask members to share the cost.

So for certain mutual aid applications, we support handling them through legal procedures. This may help mutual aid platforms resolve some disputed issues.

On this point, mutual aid platforms differ from insurance companies. Insurance companies have some room for leniency: where a claim could be paid or not paid, the insurer can pay if it is willing, without explaining itself to other policyholders.