W lutym 2016 roku kilkunastu byłych pracowników zakładu obróbki drewna w niewielkiej greckiej miejscowości Patrida, około 60 kilometrów od Salonik, powiedziało „Dość!”. Od 2008 roku byli oszukiwani przez właścicieli. Obiecując rychłą wypłatę, szefowie nie wypłacali pracownikom pełnej pensji, zredukowali godziny pracy i ogłosili upadłość firmy – nie informując o tym oficjalnie. Sytuacja nie poprawiła się, a pracownicy nigdy nie ujrzeli swoich pieniędzy. W grudniu 2015 roku zakład został zamknięty.

 In February 2016, a dozen former workers of a small woodworks plant in the small Greek town of Patrida, some 60 kilometers from Thessaloniki, had had enough. Since 2008 they had been tricked by the owners. With a promise to pay back everything soon, the bosses did not pay the workers their full salary anymore, reduced working hours and announced bankruptcy without making it official. But the situation never improved and the workers never saw their money. Finally, in December 2015, the plant closed.

Azzellini, Dario; Castronovo, Alioscia: “Le imprese recuperate in Europa”. In: De Nicola, Alberto; Quattrocchi, Biagio (ed.) (2016): Sindacalismo sociale. Lotte e invenzioni istituzionali nella crisi europea. Roma: DeriveApprodi

Dario Azzellini: "Crisis and workers' control":

Vio.Me. en Tesalónica fabricaba pegamento industrial, aislamientos y otros materiales de construcción químicos. En 2010 los trabajadores y trabajadoras fueron enviados cada 4 ó 6 semanas de vacaciones sin cobrar sueldo. Cuando en julio de 2011 el propietario dejó de pagar los salarios totalmente, los trabajadores decidieron ocupar la planta y hacerse cargo de su propio futuro. En febrero de 2013 Vio.Me.

Refugees, MigrantInnen und so genannte Flüchtlinge werden in den staatstragenden Debatten als hilflose Opfer gehandelt. Dabei haben sie mit ihrer Entschlossenheit und ihrem organisierten Handeln die EU zum Einlenken bewegt. Der Politikwissenschaftler und Berliner Gazette-Autor Dario Azzellini kommentiert.

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Vio.Me. in Thessaloniki used to produce industrial glue, insulant and various other chemically derived building materials. In 2010 the workers agreed to be sent on unpaid leave every 4-6 weeks. Then the owners started reducing the workers’ wages, assuring them that it was only a temporary measure and they would soon be paid what they were owed. The owners’ main argument was that profits had fallen by 15 to 20 per cent. When the owners broke their promise to pay the back wages, the workers went on strike demanding to be paid.

Originating in a bold exhibition at the Secession in Vienna, this book examines moments in social and cultural life where there are glimpses of utopia, where other possibilities of being are imagined and even partially realised. The book moves through Latin American carnivals, forgotten histories, queer utopias, science fiction, workers' ™ control of factories and much more.

This chapter was taken from “An Alternative Labour History” | Edited by Dario Azzellini and published by Zed Books