Argentine Workers Take Over Factories

[Larissa]

Dear Redstar200 and all,

YES, workers are really occupying factories in Argentina. I have gathered some info about the workers take over of factories and other stuff.

I want to remark that, basically, the political and social problem in Argentina is that while there's a lot of people willing to help and do something about the crisis (like the workers who take over factories), many others are just willing to gain popularity simulating the are helping when they actually don't care much about helping others.

The government has launched a very important campaign to address the "starvation" problem. Many children die every day because of "malnourishment" (dunno if the term is ok). But this is NOT a new issue. This has been happening for years. The Gov is addressing the problem now because the whole country has gone bankrupt and can't pay the external debt to the FMI and the Wolrd Bank. So, the gov says, "how could we ever pay if our children are starving"

Due to the financial crisis, many factories have had to close and workers, thus, started losing their only source of making a living, their only jobs. So, workers decided to form Cooperatives (these are like Unions, but they are not Unions) and reopen the factories in order to keep their jobs.

Such is the case of: Brukman Textile in Buenos Aires, sugarmill La Esperanza in Jujuy; tile factory Zanon in Neuquen; tractor factory Zanello in Cordoba; meat plant Yaguané in La Matanza.

Yet, these factory take overs do not respond to a "political ideology", instead they arouse from the real need of keeping the employment.

Here are some very interesting articles and info you may read from the Web...
"More than 50 factories whose owners have declared bankruptcy or shutdowns have been taken over by employees anxious to keep their jobs. When employees take over a plant, they usually form a cooperative and ask the government to expropriate the building and equipment. The government then rents them the infrastructure. More than 5,000 workers are estimated to be working at such plants."
Taken from: Argentine Workers Take Over Factories
by Pablo Waisberg • Tuesday December 03, 2002 at 07:25 PM
Latin America News Service
Full article:
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cf...=42&ItemID=2678 (http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=42&ItemID=2678)
http://thunderbay.indymedia.org/news/2002/12/2333.php (In English)

In Spanish:
The Argentine Law Project to the legitimate workers' take over of factories
http://www1.hcdn.gov.ar/dependencias/dsecr...0/4433-D-02.pdf (http://www1.hcdn.gov.ar/dependencias/dsecretaria/Período%202002/documentospdf/TP2002/Julio/tp100/4433-D-02.pdf)
Another interesting article in Spanish:
http://pagina12.feedback.net.ar/secciones/...=2222&seccion=1 (http://pagina12.feedback.net.ar/secciones/elpais/index.php?id_nota=2222&seccion=1)

Redstar200, thank you for your message. :-)

[Non-Sectarian Bastard!]

Good article, won't these factorys bankrut again?

[Larissa]

In my very personal opinion, I think they won't.
First, because the government will be the "owner & administrator" and he will always find a way to get funds to support these factories. For the Gov, it is better to keep people's employment rather than have unemployed workers setting fires at the Plaza de Mayo. If the gov. keeps these factories open, the workers may vote for them again.
Second, because most bankrupcies were not real ones, they were faked by the owners who received financial aid to keep their factories running and producing and have not used that money for such purpose. Instead they hav bought dollars or euros and sent their money out of the country.
(Not in 100% of the cases, but in most of them)

Quote: from CCCP on 2:43 pm on Jan. 1, 2003
Good article, won't these factorys bankrut again?

[Reuben]

very interesting. Great article. It just shows, when capitalism fails, when factoris close own because debts, tha socialism and the principle o social ownership of the means of production is the mos obvious and also vital alternative. THanks for this topic Larissa.

The United States Is in Trouble In latin america. Wit hthe election of Chazez and more recently the election of the Workers Party in Brazil it is obvious that America will have to become more and more coersive (as it always has) to stop the people of Latin America acting and voting in their own self interest.

[redstar2000]

THANK YOU, LARISSA!

I hope that WHENEVER something happens there that you think we should know about, you'll add another post to this thread.

What is especially interesting is that the take-overs do NOT stem from a previously formulated ideology...but are the result of direct, practical conclusions by workers on the spot. I think Marx always thought that communism would win ONLY when workers saw it as a practical necessity. It MAY be that this is the beginning of that process.

It may be happier new year than we might otherwise have expected.

[El Brujo]

Dualde has done a great deal of nationalizing industries and has long criticized menem and his pro-yankee policies. I have faith in him.

[Larissa]

Brujito, I have faith in him too. In my opinion, he avoided a civil war among us and managed to stabilize the country in the middle of a storm.

[nz revolution]

two words, fuckin awesome.

power to the workers!!!

[praxis1966]

(Edited by praxis1966 at 2:47 am on Feb. 18, 2003)

[Pete]

Hasta la victoria siempre.... this is a start no?

[pastradamus]

It takes a good leader to survive in troubled times.I like him.

[Guardia Bolivariano]

Nationalizing is the key to Argentina's future.

[CheViveToday]

Thanks for the news Larissa, this all sounds very encouraging. Let's hope these good things continue to happen in your country! :) By the way, just out of curiosity and if this isn't too personal of a question, what are the jobs of you and your husband?

[Larissa]

I'm a freelance translator and he is a journalist. We both work freelance and help some organizations (NGO) and somtimes we do some free work for the Cuban embassy in Argentina (web sites, translations, etc.)

[Larissa]

Sorry, double posted it...

(Edited by Larissa at 1:43 pm on Feb. 18, 2003)

[Pete]

One of my life goals is to be multilingual. To teach people , the poor and oppressed, but first I need to learn their langauge. English does not have too many oppressed countries does it?

[Valkyrie]

English-speaking countries are very oppressed in that the people's minds are oppressed under the capitalist system and The System itself.

The Revolution starts outside your door, Crazy Pete, So, for you that would be English and French language; if you're living in Canada; and even some of the indigenous languages.. fuck knows how much those people need to be freed.

It is a mistake to think insurrection needs to be exported only to third-world countries.. Capitalism must be destroyed first at it's gravity-point, or whatever land your body presently finds itself in.

[Larissa]

That's an excellent point, Paris. In fact, even when Argentina is far away from being a socialist country, we still fight capitalism "indoors".

[Pete]

As Larissa said, that is a good point Paris. Hmm. If only the teachers who taught me French wanted me to be fluent oh well! I am planning an Anti-war demonstration with my school to draw some local media to it, and will probaly say something about communism to wake people up.