The history of workers’ struggle is the history of the portion of humanity that identifies itself as being alienated from its meaning of economic production and which is subjugated by the wage labor system. It is the history of the emancipation of humankind from capitalism altogether.
Brought together by a shared interest in making visible workers’ history and labor’s current struggles, AWC in cooperation with labournet.tv, a collective and an online archive of films from labor movements worldwide, has selected a variety of films addressing current and historical working conditions, migration fluxes, and forms of self-organization.
The selected films, presented on AWC and labournet.tv channels, highlight axes of oppression that cross, situated struggles, and illustrate the interconnectedness between unprotected workers' rights, restrictions on trade union organization, and the extent of exploitation - especially of migrant and women workers.
The third chapter from the AWC selection on labournet.tv focuses on the self-organization and transformation of the economy by workers. In these labor disputes, the workers go beyond merely pointing out poor working conditions and disproportionate power relations—they actively reshape and redefine them according to their needs and ideas. Providing various examples from Italy, Greece, and Argentina, the selected films illustrate how workers can transform production and highlight the individual steps and struggles necessary for this process.
The stories depict the processes of self-management, the collective exploration of needs-oriented working conditions, the development of democratic structures, the transition to ecological production, and the constant challenges and changes that accompany these efforts. The occupations and takeovers featured in the films were not short-lived episodes; instead, they led to long-term changes, offering insights into what an alternative society could look like and how we might achieve it.
The first film, “Das autonome Hafenarbeiterkollektiv CALP” (2022), focuses on the autonomous port workers' collective CALP in Genoa. Since 2011, this collective has been organizing against fascist groups and advocating for better working conditions at the port. Among other achievements, they fought to ban the transport of weapons and war goods through the port of Genoa. In the film, José Nivoi, the collective's spokesperson, explains how they blocked arms shipments to war zones and provides insights into the legal situation regarding the transport of war goods in Italy.
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Fig. 1
The second film, “Taking Over the Means of Production – A Look at VIO.ME” (2019), shows how the factory's workforce organizes work and ecological production independently. VIO.ME is part of an alternative economy that prioritizes the needs of workers and their working conditions over profit. "The capitalist economy does not aim to build a functioning economy; it seeks to make profits," says one of the workers in the film.
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Fig.2
The third film, “Mate, Clay and Production” (2003), explores the worker-controlled ceramic tile factory FaSinPat (formerly known as Zanon). The cooperative is located in the southern Argentine province of Neuquén and was occupied and taken over by its workforce 21 years ago, similar to many other factories in Patagonia. FaSinPat, which stands for Fábrica sin Patrones—Factory without Bosses—became a symbol of Argentina’s new social movements due to its consistent grassroots democracy, radical demands, and spirit of resistance.
Originally, the workers sought the nationalization of the factory, but it ultimately became a cooperative. FaSinPat invests part of its profits in local projects, such as the construction of a hospital, and sources raw materials, like clay, from the indigenous Mapuche community. In the film, members of the cooperative discuss production, and their daily struggles, and share their experiences and ideas.
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Fig. 3
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labournet.tv is an online archive for films from the labor movement - old and new - from all parts of the world.
This collaboration is facilitated by Noa Jaari, Mia Ribeiro Alonso, Line Lange, and Annalisa Giacinti.
- Image Caption
Cover: "Das autonome Hafenarbeiterkollektiv CALP” (2022)
Fig. 1 José Nivoi says: ‘We blockade weapons because this is clearly an ethical and moral issue. Going to work and using our working time to load weapons that will kill thousands of people in states [where] we will never seem crazy to us.’, © labournet.tv
Fig. 2 Makis works in self-managed production in Thessaloniki (Greece) and produces ecological cleaning products, © Unicorn Riots
Fig. 3 The factory has legally belonged to the workers since 2009, © AK KRAAK
