France, Alternative Libertaire AL #236 - Dismissals: FagorBrandt, co-operation (fr, pt)

The Spanish company Fagor filed for bankruptcy in October, putting his layoff 5,600 
employees, including 1,800 in France. Offers current recovery concern only a few 
employee-es in France. Back to the fight and the cooperative model. ---- After betraying 
workers PSA after being disowned by Ayrault to those of ArcelorMittal Florange Montebourg 
hope to save face with one of the hot issues of school: SNCM STX Saint-Nazaire, Goodyear, 
Mory Ducros or FagorBrandt . Fifteen billion of "fund of economic strength" granted by 
Ayrault after hammering Florange have been unlocked to allow partial resumption of work 
FagorBrandt in December to better sell to the buyers. Four were presented, considering 
resuming respectively 200 and 1200 1800 employee-es in France. The final maturity will be 
the decision of the Commercial Court on February 17.

The unions FagorBrandt struggling to mobilize employee-es and are bent on social dialogue, 
including asking tripartite meetings public management-labor-power (Montebourg), hoping to 
increase their chances of recovery by not making waves. So far, bids remained ridiculous.

Democratic dropping

The situation is even more complicated than brands (Vedette, Brandt, etc..) Interest more 
buyers that the expertise of employee-es, not belonging to the French group, resulting 
from the redemption in 2005 Fagor Brandt by the Spanish. The latter part of Mondragon 
Corporation, the largest cooperative in the world with 80,000 employee-es, often cited to 
demonstrate that the cooperative model is feasible on a large scale within the capitalist 
economy.

In fact, this example shows rather a real hierarchy between workers associated es, who 
have invested 14,000 euros of shares in Mondragon and other component almost 50% of the 
wage. Thus, the decision to "let go" Fagor was taken democratically by the members, like 
giving priority measures to redeploy and maintain 80% of salary to only those members. To 
return to the brands, they are owned by an Irish subsidiary of Fagor. Tax outsourcing 
among others decided "democratically" by the cooperative.

Cooperative or not, Fagor is subject to international competition. The employee-es, back 
to the wall, trying to salvage through social dialogue, leading to takeover bids leaving 
most people in the lurch. It is politically posing the question of layoffs, thus involving 
the employers and the government and debating claims such as workers veto on layoffs and 
organizing the convergence of struggles, we can block redundancy plans and change that.

Gregory (AL Orleans)