Nuestra Fabrica

"Occupy, Resist, Produce." This is the slogan that adorns the Chilavert book publishing factory in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It summarizes the ideals of the factory workers, who assumed ownership of the factory in 2002 after the original owners declared bankruptcy. Argentina experienced an economic collapse in 2001; as a result, the country continues to suffer from unusually high business failures. In response to massive job losses and community devaluation, former employees of bankrupt businesses in Argentina have successfully created co-ops in order to continue production and employment. Thus, Chilavert's now-famous slogan.

The Chilavert book publishing factory was originally named Gaglianone after the family who had owned it since 1923. After years of reasonable success, business faltered, people were fired or took losses to salaries, expensive operational equipment was sold off, and bankruptcy was declared. Then something happened. The employees took their jobs into their own hands. They recognized the value of their work, and refused to leave the closed-down business. A standoff between police and residents living near the factory occurred in May of 2002, and the result was a concession on the part of the law. There was an overwhelming opinion that, if the community desired the value of the establishment, they ought to be legally allowed to continue to run it. As a result, the factory has been operating ever since. It is located in a quiet neighborhood near central Buenos Aires, a city that boasts a population of about 2.7 million people.

Like many large cities, the neighborhoods it contains rely on smaller communities within the greater infrastructure. These communities depend upon local businesses for their everyday living-for transportation, groceries and other necessities. When a formerly successful, long-standing business closes its doors, it drives down the value of the community. This is not acceptable within local commerce. If increased flow of capital is what a community desires, then they must rely on themselves to create the opportunity. In Argentina-a country whose business owners and government have engaged in blatant corruption and violence-a new resistance is forming to create profitable, people-oriented work environments.

The Argentineans' motivation is to become productive citizens and to encourage positive growth. For the workers at Chilavert, productivity means building a unique kind of business. All twelve employees make the same salary, which is unusual even among the many newly formed co-ops in Argentina. They also use the second level of the factory building for community activities such as dance classes, movie screenings, poetry readings, and art exhibits. Chilavert is now a vital, growing piece of the local neighborhood, and the employees' jobs are in many ways far more rewarding.

"Before, we worked for a boss. Now we work for ourselves. And when it is a cooperative you want to work better because it is your business, your own process. Before workers were numbers. Now we are people," said Fabio Resino, a worker for another co-op called Hotel Bauen. The employees of the hotel met at Chilavert to discuss their own situation in 2003. The hotel, located in downtown Buenos Aires, had declared bankruptcy in 2001, and fired all its workers. The majority of individuals were unemployed for twelve to fourteen months, and were owed back pay. They soon realized they had to bring their jobs back.

Several meetings later, after gathering advice from other co-op initiatives, the former hotel employees returned to the closed-down hotel and entered its doors. They formed a cooperative and managed to reopen Hotel Bauen in August of 2004. The many employees have steady pay and a profit margin to keep the business going. They also actively participate in every aspect of business decisions. Unfortunately due to recent legislative action, the 150 members of the hotel co-op are facing forced eviction. They still hope to work out a deal to maintain ownership or to pay the previous owner rent, and in the following months the outcome of their situation will become clear.

These co-ops were created to maintain the jobs of the millions of Argentineans whose bosses chose to bail on their businesses. A typical pattern occurs with corrupt business owners in Argentina, where the unfortunate upheaval of government and commerce has resulted in widespread abuse. Employees of a company will suddenly receive decreased wages, or will not receive anything at all for their work. This could go on for months, with the business owners declining to pay in full what they owe. Then the company's bankruptcy might be declared, and all employees are told to leave the premises. Sometimes businesses are shut down overnight with no warning and employees show up the next day to sudden unemployment. In Argentina due to events such as the aforementioned crash of 2001, a stark divide exists within the population-while many are still well off, millions live in desperate poverty.

Workers in Argentina want a democratic approach to business. Their constitution protects the right of an individual to work, but the job situation is such that when a business fails in most parts of Argentina it is nearly impossible to find new employment. Many Argentineans still haven't heard the inspiring stories of the co-ops created by their own neighbors. There are still many opportunities in Buenos Aires and other cities for individuals to reclaim their jobs and their sense of dignity if they can just take the initiative. "There are some two hundred recuperated, cooperative businesses in Argentina. That's not a lot compared to all the others that are not run this way," said Candido Gonzalez, an employee and participant in the Chilavert takeover.

The inspiration of the worker owned co-ops in Argentina has led individuals to produce a film documenting one co-op attempt. This recent independent film, entitled "The Take," explores the tactics of employees of a former auto-parts factory who move into the factory and refuse to leave. The film documents the resistance of these workers, who only want to keep their jobs and continue producing quality goods. It emphasizes the struggle of Argentina's middle class, which was once abundant and prosperous, and details how the crash of 2001 turned humming industry into dead machines overnight. It brings to the viewing public a testament to the power of common sense. If workers cannot afford to lose their jobs, and the community cannot afford to become impoverished, it makes sense to take action to keep those jobs.

With the concept of the co-op being redefined successfully by the businesses that exist in Argentina, it will be exciting to see the other developments that result. The business model could be used to salvage employment across America, in towns and cities where the loss of a local business is devastating the community.

As Chilavert's slogan reads, "Occupy," define your employment as necessary and realize it does not have to be taken away. "Resist," and protect your right to work and the viability of your community. "Produce," and succeed in your endeavors. This is what some workers in Argentina have chosen to do, not for an opportunity to fight, but for an opportunity to exist with self-respect and dignity.

Written By Faye Hoxie

Back