All english articles
Worker Control and Workplace Democracy. An Alternative Labour History
Over the past 135 years, in all kinds of historical situations and during various political and economic crises and in different political systems, workers have taken control of their workplaces. Yet this story of workers self-administered production is rarely told. Capitalists, bourgeois governments and administrators of systems based on the exploitation of workers usually have little interest in disseminating the history of self-organized workers; those who have successfully run factories without bosses.
Occupy, Resist, Produce – Vio.Me.
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.
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Film project in the framework of the International Film Festival – Opening Nights
The Athens Biennale 2015–2017 “ΟΜΟΝΟΙΑ”, in the framework of the Athens International Film Festival (Opening Nights), presents the film project of Dario Azzellini & Oliver Ressler Occupy, Resist, Produce on October 2, 8:15pm. In view of the critical historical juncture, the Athens Biennale 2015–2017 “OMONOIA” unfolds in three strands of debate and research intervention: the emergence of alternative economies, the performative in the political and the establishment of institutions that redefine existing structures.
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Congreso internacional Imaginarios utópicos: pasado, presente y futuro
Desde el 15-M de 2011, son muchos los acontecimientos que han puesto de relieve la existencia en España de una corriente de reivindicación política y social imaginativa y contestataria, que responde a demandas de sectores de la ciudadanía desengañados con las formas convencionales de representación y con la gestión política de las instituciones. Esta corriente no es exclusivamente española, sino que enlaza con un reverdecimiento en todo el mundo de vías para expresar la disconformidad en formatos que tienen mucho de utópicos.
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Solikon2015: Arbeitsplatzrückgewinnung von Südamerika bis Europa
During the first decade of the current century, workplace recuperations and production under workers’ control seemed to be limited mainly to South America. It was beyond the imagination of most workers and scholars in industrialized countries that workers would or could occupy their workplaces and run them on their own. Nevertheless, the crisis that started in 2008 put workers’ control back on the agenda in the northern hemisphere where several companies from Greece to Italy and the US have been taken over by workers.
Occupy, Resist, Produce – Officine Zero
Officine Zero, former RSI (Rail Service Italia) was dedicated to the maintenance and repair of sleeping cars. When in December 2011 Italian train services decided to stop the night train service and invest in fast track trains, RSI closed. Some 20 workers out of the almost 60 employees strong work force did not accept the closing and took up the struggle. They found support among the activists from the nearby social center, “Strike.” In February 2012 they occupied their work place.
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OK. Video - Indonesia Media Arts Festival
International media arts festival, OK. Video, is back. This is the seventh festival organized biannually since it was first held in 2003. ORDE BARU OK. Video - Indonesia Media Arts Festival 2015 is held on 15 - 28 June 2015 and supported by the Galeri Nasional Indonesia which also becomes the festival's main venue.
For over 100 years May Day has been celebrated by workers, socialists, anarchists, autonomists, and a myriad of other radicals.
Revolutionary May Day in Berlin: It Began with a Riot
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Social movements and the fight against authority
The lecture will take place in the social centre Aftonomo Steki in Exarcheia
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With, Against and Beyond Left Governments?
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Is Post-Chavez Venezuela Still Leftist?
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Book launch: An Alternative Labour History. Worker Control and Workplace Democracy
Presentation of "An Alternative Labour History: Worker Control and Workplace Democracy" (Zed Books) edited by Dario Azzellini. The global financial crisis has led to radical forms of protest and new workers’ takeovers have sprung up all over the globe. In the US, Republic Windows and Doors started production under worker control in January 2013. Later that year workers in Greece took over and managed a hotel, a hospital, a newspaper, a TV channel and a factory. The dominant revolutionary left has viewed workers' control as part of a system necessary during a transition to socialism.
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Commune or nothing: Dual power and popular self-organization in Venezuela and Latin America
With Marina Sitrin and Dario Azzellini
Ed.: this post is part of a series dealing with Austria’s history of fascism. Further entries can be found here.
Persecution and Exile of Austrian Sociological Authors During Fascism
![](http://www.azzellini.net/sites/azzellini.net/files/imagecache/Story-Image-Switcher/Lukács_György.jpg)
Hundreds of Austrian sociological authors were persecuted and exiled during fascism between 1933 and 1945, most of them Jews, but also a large number of non-Jewish liberals, democrats, socialists and communists. The repression began during “Austro-fascism” between 1933/34 and the “Anschluss” to Nazi Germany in March 1938 – which was welcomed by most of the Austrian population. As soon as Austria joined the “Third Reich” German forces and Austrian volunteers unleashed a wave of terror imprisoning more than 70,000 people in a few days.
A Preview of the Future. Workers’ Control in the Context of a Global Systemic Crisis
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.
Contemporary Crisis and Workers Control: Chapter 2
This chapter was taken from “An Alternative Labour History” | Edited by Dario Azzellini and published by Zed Books
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Dario Azzellini, Venezuela and the Latin American Context: Revolutionary Populism?
One of the accusations often raised against former Venezuelan President Chávez (and also against other Latin American leaders) is that of populism. In occidental media discourse the term is used without further explanation and implies automatically a negative judgment. Nevertheless, Latin American populism has historically been different from traditional European populism.
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Oliver Ressler & Dario Azzellini - Comuna Under Construction
'Comuna Under Construction' is an ethnography of self-organisation, a film which as part of a series of collaborations the artist Oliver Ressler carried out with Azzellini, takes a look at the everyday experiences of ordinary Venezuelan people. Since the initiation of a rhizomatic system of self-organizing - citizens come together to discuss local issues through a network of committees and subcommittees which empower people to initiate local development projects.
Worker Control and Workplace Democracy
An Alternative Labour History
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ISOLA UTOPIA: RiMAFLOW AND ISOLA PEPE VERDE, CONCRETE UTOPIAS - A project by Isola Art Center
ISOLA UTOPIA: RiMAFLOW AND ISOLA PEPE VERDE, CONCRETE UTOPIAS
a project by Isola Art Center
in the context of
PRACTICES AS AN INTERSECTION IN A FRAGILE ENVIRONMENT
curated by Claudio Zecchi
Program:
10.30-17.00- Isola Utopia Video (a video review in loop, a web doc, books, prints etc) (click below to see the details)
17.00 From "Fight-Specific Isola" to "Isola Utopia"
Meeting with open debate
The concept of "Fight-Specific", Introduction by Antonio Brizioli.
Interventions by Andris Brinkmanis, Giusy Chechola, Elvira Vannini and others,