ZNet Commentary
Occupied Factory Movement In Argentina October 06, 2004
By Marie Trigona

On 14 September 2004 a delegation of workers from some of Argentina's
roughly 200 re-occupied factories marched in Buenos Aires. They demanded
that the government permanently legalize the expropriation of factories and
other bankrupt enterprises which were abandoned by owners and run under
direct workers' control after the collapse of the country's economy in
December 2001.

A delegation of 170 activists - 100 workers from Zanon ceramics factory and
70 from social movements supporting the factory - arrived in the morning in
Buenos Aires to march to a local court and national congress in defense of a
possible government eviction of Zanon and other enterprises producing under
worker control.

Workers from Chilavert printing factory, Bauen Hotel, Brukman suit factory,
Conforti printing factory, Renacer electronics from Ushuia, Junin health
clinic, Ados health clinic, Gatic shoe company, Sasetru pasta company, and
various unemployed workers organizations participated in the march.

After the crisis of December 19 and 20, 2001, the Argentine government gave
many workers occupying businesses temporary permits to function inside
offices and factories. However, these agreements had a two year limit. Some
of the permits are set to expire before the end of 2004.

Chilavert, a printing factory in Buenos Aires is one of the occupied
businesses functioning with a temporary permit. The agreement is set to
expire October 17, 2004. The workers are taking legal precautions to avoid
an eviction. More importantly, they are working to bring about a genuine
defense of the factory. Regrouping with other experienced businesses and
factories producing under workers? control has been central in the fight for
the permanent legalization of expropriation of reoccupied enterprises.

The march for the permanent legalization of expropriation was an important
act to prove that there are many recuperated businesses which have not put
their trust into the government's precarious solution for the experience of
workers self-organizing/managing without a boss or owner

"There are a lot of recuperated businesses fighting to regroup, and today we
took a step forward in regrouping ourselves and marching to the National
Congress to discuss a national law for the definitive expropriation of
reoccupied factories," said Raul Godoy, a worker from Zanon ceramics factory
during the September 14 march.

The workers of Chilavert are especially concerned with building a nexus of
support in the barrio in order to defend the factory. When they first began
the factory occupation in December, 2001 after the owner had abandoned the
business, they relied on the barrio and other social movements for support.
It was a neighbor next door who warned the workers that the owner was coming
to empty the factory. With the police standing guard at the door, it was
impossible for the workers to be able to safe guard books they were holding
onto to prove the back wages the owner failed to pay. The neighbor and
workers ripped a hole in the walls, and passed the books through the wall to
the neighbor's house.

After two years of occupation, the workers have not forgotten the important
role of community support in defense of the factory. The main characteristic
of this support has been the cultural center built on the second floor,
looking over the printing machinery, paper stock and offices. Once a month,
they have artists expressing social conflicts exhibiting work, Wednesday's
the video group alavío projects film narrating working class struggle, and
on Saturday's musicians committed to defend the factory perform.

One worker, Plácido, explains that the space above the print shop's
production was the only place inside the shop for the workers to hide from
the boss's permanent surveillance, and take their refuge from exploitation
inside the factory. Today, this space was transformed into a place for the
workers? to express resistance and let their imaginations fly.

"Different factories have petitioned for different modifications of the
law - bankruptcy law, ect. What is new is that workers from different
factories are getting together to develop a law for the definitive legal
expropriation of factories - so that each business can follow its own model
for production," said Godoy. "Many businesses that had a temporary permit
for two years, now after two years of sacrifice and work are faced with the
demand of having to buy the offices and machinery, which the owner
abandoned. The threat of eviction reappears and the old bosses could take
over."

After three years under worker control, the provincial government of Neuquén
re-launched an attack against Zanon in the same month where the workers
reached a record high in production, sales and quality. In recent, weeks the
workers of Zanon have been on alert of a threat of eviction.

Neuquén's governor Jorge Sobisch is pressuring the 420 workers in Zanon to
leave their job posts inside the factory and work building prefabricated
houses in a government sponsored micro-enterprise project targeted for the
unemployed. The federal Supreme Court sent a petition to the Neuquén
provincial government to put into action an eviction order without any
delay. The courts have also refused to legally recognize Zanon's proposal to
form FatSinPat (Factories without bosses) as a workers cooperative.
Essentially, the government has been planning to open the doors for police
to evict the factory. The workers of Zanon are firm in their position to
defend the factory at all costs.

The workers of Zanon have self-organized/managed the factory, gradually
increasing production without any government subsidies. They have hired over
170 new workers. They have defended the factories against five eviction
orders along with compañeros from unemployed workers organizations and other
social movements.

On August 20 a delegation of Zanon workers and participants in the
Unemployed Workers Movement (MTD) Neuquén traveled to Buenos Aires to
organize a national campaign to defend the factory. Some 400 people
representing other worker controlled factories and businesses, unemployed
workers organizations, combative labor union, and human rights organizations
participated in the meeting held at Hotel Bauen's auditorium (a hotel
self-managed/organized by its workers).

The conclusion from this meeting was to call a march for September 14. "We
are standing up to battle and we will demonstrate September 14 to demand
that the judge recognize the worker controlled cooperative, FatSinPat, and
for a permanent legal expropriation of all reoccupied factories and
enterprises."

Monica Acosta, a worker from the Renacer ex-Aurora electronics plant
producing under worker control in the southern most province of Ushuaia,
expresses the importance of the definitive expropriation law and defending
factories producing under worker control. "The law for the permanent legal
expropriation of recuperated factories and enterprises is a tool that
provides legal security for our jobs.

We are part of the movement of reoccupied factories - we are part of the
working class - we are at the vanguard of class struggle - the most advanced
because we proved that we can unify the struggle between the jobless and
employed by opening up abandoned factories. We are preventing factory
closures and workers are taking control of the means of production through
expropriation, which makes it possible to maintain job posts. 239 jobs in
our case, producing for four years in better working conditions in the
South."

Argentina's occupied factory movement has developed the most advanced
strategies in defense of the working class and resistance against
capitalism. These experiences of worker self-management/organization have
directly challenged capitalism's structures: private property, expropriation
of workers skills and knowledge of machinery, and business organization
only for profits.

A worker from the state union, CTA-Neuquén expressed the importance of
experiences of workers collectively organizing to defend their jobs: "This
is the form we've taken to defend our jobs, which without a doubt workers
throughout the world see as an example to copy."

In defense of Zanon and all worker occupied factories!

If they mess with one of us, they mess with all of us!

Permanent expropriation of all factories and companies producing under
worker control!

www.alavio.org