The company with the emblematic glasses has just transformed itself into
a cooperative. There is a significant gap between the cooperative in acapitalist system and general self-management. But when the collector's
edition invites us in partnership with the company Le Slip Français,
shouldn't we see the glass half full? ---- Duralex is an old company
that produces "unbreakable" glasses and some other products for the
kitchen. After having benefited from 15 million in state "aid", the
bosses of the French glass company decided to abandon this company based
in La Chapelle-Saint-Mesmin in the Loiret department. Some of the
employees worked on a cooperative takeover with the support of the CFDT
section, the majority union and the site management. Since the priority
was investment, the CGT for its part defended the arrival of new bosses
with a takeover project that only took over 183 people. Ultimately, it
was thanks to SCOP[1] that production was restarted last July with the
approval of the Orléans Commercial Court, and 227 jobs were saved.
The financial question inevitably arises. The minimum contribution per
"employee-associate" is 500 euros. Even if several of them have paid
more, we are far from the amount needed for the banks to grant loans.
Various public institutions or financial groups have participated in the
project, reminiscent of the models of the Railcoop or La Coop des
Masques cooperatives. Public money is of course "ours", but if these
institutions participate in the project, what place is left for the
workers or even the users? In other words, is an alternative emerging,
or is it "just" a question of saving jobs within the framework of the
capitalist system?
Part of the answer lies in not questioning wage inequalities or
hierarchies in the organization of work. While this would be necessary,
the priority seems to be more to "diversify the product offer, expand
markets and build partnerships" ... The alternative is also supported by
the support campaign launched and its slogan "Let's go to the canteen,
kids"[2]. However, these limits do not prevent us from supporting these
workers! In a capitalist regime, the sale of production is an essential
step. So you can just as well support a workers' recovery experience
(even if it is limited in content) as large groups or profit-hungry
entrepreneurs.
Capitalist age management
Nationalization, socialization, self-management - these concepts have
shaped the debate within the trade union movement for years. Experiments
have been carried out, assessments made. The management of the means of
production directly by employees is possible. Real alternatives are
possible, not just in the form of slogans. Let us recover our history,
let us not allow the vision of the ruling class to be imposed on us,
whose aim is to convince us that "capitalism is the end of history"![3]
Within the framework of the capitalist system, direct management of
companies or services is therefore possible, but not self-management.
Because self-management is a project of social transformation of the
whole of society, with fundamental changes in terms of decision-making
powers, social classes, notions of hierarchy and responsibility, etc. We
must build our thinking by integrating this necessary break with the
capitalist system. For this to be useful, we must find and invent
demands, forms of action, organizations, slogans, examples of struggle
that make these fundamental changes credible in the eyes of as many
people as possible and not just among ourselves.
ILLUSTRATION ROSEMARIE PNE
Self-management of the stock
Due to certain resistances and current social struggles, the question of
the organization of work in all its dimensions is sometimes raised: who
decides in the company and in each work collective? What should be
produced? Under what conditions? What social benefit?... These are just
questions, rarely concrete attempts, and by no means a fundamental
movement. But isn't it up to us to create the conditions for this? How
do we react when a project goes in this direction?
Railcoop is a rail transport cooperative created in 2019. It has sparked
debates and resistance in our social camp. This was not obvious since it
concerned a sector that was still largely public and was being attacked
by privatizations in various forms. Railcoop could thus be seen as
complicit in these attacks. These initiators defended themselves by
defending the need to complete a public rail service that did not meet
certain needs and proposed to achieve this through a "citizen company",
a "social" company, etc. Exit from Railcoop, forced liquidation in 2024.
La Coop des Masques proposed the resumption of a company producing masks
while we were in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Beyond the
gain in esteem, this cooperative received almost no support from unions,
associations and political groups that could contribute, if only through
direct orders, to its success. Leave La Coop des Masques in 2022.
Other projects are more sustainable: La belle Aude (launched in 2013),
SCOP-TI of the ex-Fralib (2014) or even L'après-M (2020)[4]... The
Autogestion association[5] regularly provides information on these
projects and successes: the international encyclopedia of
self-management already has 11 volumes. The Bulletin of the Workers'
Economy Network (with articles in several languages) is in its tenth
edition[6]: there is material to summarize the debates and successes.
Christian (South-Eastern suburbs of Paris)
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Duralex-Il-y-a-ecrit-cooperative-au-fond-de-mon-verre
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