Zanon's Struggle for Economic Democracy

Zanon Update

The Zanon workers and their families have recently and repeatedly been the
victims of brutal attacks, torture, death threats and kidnappings. The
attackers have used tactics familiar to Argentinians who remember the terror
of the violent military dictatorship, right down to the chilling detail of
kidnapping and torturing the wife of one of the workers in a green Ford
Falcon ­ the very vehicles used by security forces responsible for 30,000
forced disappearances and countless other human rights violations. Two Zanon
families have had to leave the city for their own safety.

This was all clearly leading up to the climax of the legal battle for the
factory. Last week, the judge opened up a process known as a ³cram-down²:
five days in which new or old owners could make bids to ³buy² the factory
for a fraction of its real value. This could have triggered an immediate
eviction order, and another crisis at the factory.

But no one came forward. It is clear that the deep community support for the
workers¹ struggle, both locally and internationally, has dissuaded those who
want to take the factory away from the community that has defended and
nurtured it.

So now the process can move to the next stage: the judge should declare the
bankruptcy once and for all, and hand legal control of the workplace to the
Zanon workers and their cooperative (FaSinPat ­ short for Factories Without
Bosses).

This is not a permanent solution, but it will at least make the situation
less precarious, and allow the workers to work without the constant threat
of eviction. The only acceptable permanent solution is the definitive
recognition of the workers¹ control of the factory, free of the previous
owner¹s debt.

As part of a global movement for social justice, we must defend this
inspiring concrete example of those other worlds we know we can create.
Let¹s build a network strong enough to defend FaSinPat!!

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an email to with Zanon in the subject line.

And for more information, see the links below.

Workers' control of FaSinPat continues despite attacks

Zanon Factory Worker Kidnapped, Tortured

Press Release:
Zanon workers in state of alert. judge opens way for vulture funds to take
over the factory

Zanon workers under attack

Zanon, Argentina

Death threats against occupying workers in Argentina

Argentina's Factories: Avi Lewis

Occupy, Resist, Produce: Worker Cooperatives in Buenos Aires

Member of Worker-Run Factory in Argentina Was Kidnapped, Tortured

Zanon

The work of changing minds: Recovered factories in Argentina

March in Defense of Zanon