Argentina: THE STRUGGLE OF THE BRUKMAN FACTORY
>>
>>The struggle of the Brukman workers is part of a wider movement of
>>Argentinaian workers to occupy and take control over their factories or
>>turn them into co-operatives. The Brukman workers first occupied their
>>factory after not having been paid for weeks and the boss had suddenly
>>left the factory and its workforce in a hurry when the economy of
>>Argentina was in meltdown thanks to IMF policies. Rather than lose their
>>jobs at a time of rising unemployment, the unofficial figures of which are
>>now estimated to approach 30%, the Brukman workers decided to occupy their
>>factory in Buenos Aires on the 18 December.
>>
>>Outside the factory building hang banners and posters proclaiming the
>>workers occupation. It is an incredible and inspiring sight. I am met at
>>the factory gates by Carlos, who showed me around the factory and
>>introduced me to some of the workers there. He explained that the around
>>50 workers at the factory are manufacturing clothes, and that they make
>>suits. Much of the clothing industry is dominated by women, and Brukman is
>>no different. Most of the workers here are women and immigrants. I asked
>>my guide whether the women encountered any difficulties from home when
>>they took the decision to occupy the factory. He laughed, Œyes, well, a
>>few households were battlegrounds, but they got their way‚.
>>
>>After the occupation the workers were initially worried about continuing
>>production at the factory, and then to sell the stock, as this means
>>nothing less than the appropriation of bourgeois property. However, the
>>mass movements of the following, revolutionary days in December gave the
>>workers confidence and all worries about any illegalities vanished. By the
>>26 December around 20 students were among the first to come to the factory
>>to express their solidarity with the Brukman workers. The government and
>>various bourgeois parties wanted at this stage that the factory would be
>>turned into a legal and officially recognised co-operative, and lengthy
>>discussions and debates among the workers ensued. It was the experiences
>>of another occupied factory, Zanon, of the ceramic workers which was to
>>prove decisive in future developments at Brukman. The Zanon workers opted
>>for workers control of their factory, and expressed active solidarity with
>>the workers at Brukman, who then refused to become a co-operative, also
>>deciding upon workers control. Clearly the workers were being radicalised
>>by what they saw around them and the solidarity they were given, so they
>>now also started to sell the stock they had produced, and they continue
>>production and sales to this day.
>>
>>I asked how production was now organised, and whether anything had changed
>>in the production process for the better. I was told that things had
>>changed completely. The first thing was of course that no-one looked over
>>your shoulder all the time anymore, Œthey can now go to the toilet without
>>being harassed‚, the next development was that the workers re-organised
>>the production process, so that now individuals did not only sew trousers
>>or sleeves or jackets all day, but all the sewers are together on one
>>floor, they can talk to each other and follow the production process of
>>each item of clothing. They were trying to find ways of combating the
>>dehumanising and alienating elements of capitalist production. I asked how
>>decisions are taken, and was explained that the workers hold regular open
>>meetings, assemblies which are aimed to organise not only the daily
>>running of the factory, the production and sale of their products, but
>>also political activities. Thus rallys, demonstrations and solidarity work
>>is organised and discussed. The Brukman workers have received and give a
>>tremendous amount of solidarity. They have forged a political unity with
>>the Ceramic workers and they promote unity with the unemployment movement.
>>They go on demonstrations together, and join each other in protests. More
>>recently Brukman has also come together with two smaller factories which
>>are trying to become co-operatives, who are willing to co-dinate their
>>struggles and fight together, and a large gig is planned for the 3rd of
>>August in support of the three factories.
>>
>>Earlier in the year the police briefly took over the factory. The police
>>entered the factory at 9 am in the morning, and the workers immediately
>>contacted the media and the network of the popular assemblies, which are
>>comprised of all sorts of political tendencies. The popular assemblies had
>>previously organised a solidarity commission for a strike fund for the
>>workers as well as self-defence. They saw the brutality and repression of
>>the police, and workers are painfully aware that they must be able to
>>defend themselves. Hundreds of people were very quickly mobilised and
>>people arrived banging pots in protest, facing an ever-growing crowd the
>>police quickly left at 14:00. On the next day about 4000 people from the
>>popular assemblies came to the factory to express their solidarity with
>>the workers.
>>
>>After a few months the boss came back, and a mandatory conciliation
>>process began, but, as one of the workers there put it to me: Œthe union
>>supported the bosses‚, and they have Œno consideration for the workers‚.
>>The Brukman workers still continue to hold out, producing their suits and
>>selling them. As a very advanced section of the working class their fight
>>is not only an inspiration to all of us, in showing us, and reminding us
>>of what is possible, and in demonstrating the ultimate power of the
>>working class, but they also need our solidarity. They also know however,
>>that they can not continue for ever, and they can not go it alone. They
>>want to see all workers in Argentina take over their factories, they want
>>to see a general strike, they also know that Argentina can not go it all
>>alone, but that workers all over the world must shake off their chains of
>>oppression and put an end to capitalism, as one of the workers there said
>>to me, after explaining that the Brukman workers do not want their bosses
>>back, Œwe need to struggle to the end‚.
>>
>>Messages of solidarity can be sent to: brukmansolidarity@hotmail.com