Latin America

Worker Control in Brazil

Throughout the twentieth century, there have been few experiences of self-management in Brazil, usually organized by immigrants at the beginning of the century, or by the Catholic Church in the 1950s. During the 1960s, agricultural cooperatives grew in number however these were experiences mainly led by a business perspective, or supported by the military dictatorship as state policies to oppose popular pressure for land reform. read more »

Immanuel Ness and Dario Azzellini, eds., Ours to Master and to Own: Workers’ Control from the Commune to the Present - Chicago: Haymarket, 2011-

Book Review

Ours to Master and to Own is a compilation of articles offering a historical and global overview of workers’ efforts to gain control over their workplaces, the economy, and governance. It is wonderfully organized in both a chronological and thematic logic, from the nineteenth century through the early twenty-first century, while also moving from a general historical overview toward more specific explanations of how worker democracy was implemented and fought in particular cases. read more »

Immanuel Ness and Dario Azzellini, Ours to Master and to Own - Chicago: Haymarket, 2011

Book Review

The fact that the publisher is Haymarket Publishers indicates that the book under examination is concerned with labor studies. This particular book is an anthology of twenty-two articles by various authors, who specialize in labor movements or the history of workers’ organizations. read more »

On the Crisis of Capitalism, Argentina’s Worker-Recuperated Enterprises, and the Possibilities for Another World

An interview with Eduardo Murúa

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A Multiple Socialist Administration Model and Enterprises of Social Property (ESP) in Venezuela - Success, Difficulties, Prospects

For a transition from capitalism to socialism the multiple  socialist administration model is proposed in order to avoid what the author calls the Soviet mode of production, in which, despite the elimination of the private property of the means of production, there still persisted social alienation, a hierarchical social division of labor and thus the exploitation of man by man.  Through Direct Social Property Enterprises (the property of popular communities) and Indirect Social Property Enterprises (state property) articulated in hegemonic integral socio-productive chains and networks and with the participation of forms of private property, including cooperatives, it is possible to advance toward integral sustainable human development. read more »

Fit für den Markt oder den Markt überwinden? Widersprüche von Genossenschaften & Belegschaftsbetrieben und ihre Bearbeitung

Speech hold the 5th November 2011 at the International Conference: «Den Betrieb übernehmen. Einstieg in Transformation?» / «Occupy, Resist, Produce». Worker Cooperatives – Potential for Transformation?
Panel: Fit für den Markt oder den Markt überwinden? Widersprüche von Genossenschaften & Belegschaftsbetrieben und ihre Bearbeitung

03. - 05.11.2011, Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung, Berlin
http://www.rosalux.de/documentation/44505

Self-managment and Solidarity Economy: the challenges for worker-recovered companies in Brasil.

This article focuses on the experiences of worker-recovered enterprises in Brazil that became self-managed organizations. By tracing their origins, characteristics and relations to the widest field of Solidarity Economy, we discuss some of their present challenges, including their relationship with the State, the trade unions and others. We start by outlining the major discussions about adequate terminology, which at the same time provides the first insights into the social and economic structure of the sector. read more »

The Universe of Worker-Recovered Companies in Argentina (2002-2008): Continuity and Changes Inside the Movement

Argentina’s movement of worker-recovered companies (WRC) gained significant public visibility during and in the years following the institutional crisis of December 2001. In light of company shutdowns and dramatic increases in unemployment
rates, many workers promoted the reopening of workplaces abandoned by their owners, giving origin to a movement that still exists to this day. Collectively, the actions centred on workplace and job “recoveries” have made up the distinguishing feature--or the “identity”--of the movement. Even though today’s conjuncture is somewhat different than read more »

Cooperatives and the “Bolivarian Revolution” in Venezuela

This article looks at the vibrant cooperative movement within the context of the “Bolivarian Revolution” in Venezuela. While the cooperatives represent one of the most encouraging signs of radical democratic potential in Venezuela, there are conflicting
trajectories within the country that make the future of the “Bolivarian Revolution” unclear. This paper argues that the cooperative movement can only be sustainable and transformative of Venezuelan capitalism if it is integrated into a larger project of
economic democracy.

Full text in English to download as pdf

Praxis, Learning, and New Cooperativism in Venezuela: An Initial Look at Venezuela’s Socialist Production Units

In this paper, I address the question as to the extent to which the participatory and democratic processes taking place as part ofVenezuela's new cooperative movement can be said to be a component for the building of social relations that challenge those of capitalism. I begin with a discussion of praxis and learning. Then, I attempt to situate the role of cooperatives and the participation therein within the context of capitalism. read more »