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Workers Cooperative Defies Crisis
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Dan Clore
Aug 29, 2012, 10:14:31 PM8/29/12
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News & Views for Anarchists & Activists:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smygo
http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/2601741-workers-cooperative-defies-crisis
Spain
Workers� cooperative defies crisis
29 August 2012
Unemployment is non-existent in Marinaleda, an Andalusian village in
southern Spain that is prosperous thanks to its farming cooperative. In
a country in the grip of austerity, the village mayor, Juan Manuel
S�nchez Gordillo, heads a grassroots resistance movement.
Juan Manuel S�nchez Gordillo, made the headlines recently by leading a
"forced expropriation" of food stuffs from several supermarkets.
Aided by his allies in the Andalusian Farmers' Union (SAT), the food was
then distributed to the most needy. Clearly, the mayor of Marinaleda
stands out among Spanish politicians.
S�nchez Gordillo is a historic leader of the Farm Workers' Union (SOC),
the backbone of the current SAT. He has been the mayor the little
village, which numbers fewer than 3,000 people and is in the Seville
region, since 1979. There, thanks to the participation and support of
the local population, he launched a unique political and economic
experiment which turned the village into a kind of socialist stronghold
in the midst of the Andalusian countryside.
New utopia
With the economic crisis, Marinaleda was given the chance to verify that
its 25 square kilometres of utopia is a genuine solution to market forces.
Its current rate of unemployment is zero per cent. A good part of the
residents are employed by the Cooperativa Humar-Marinaleda, created by
the farm workers themselves after years of struggle. For a long time,
the farmers repeatedly occupied the land of the El Humoso Farm, which
belonged to an aristocratic family.
Each time, they were dispersed by the Guardia Civil [police] and would
chant: "The land belongs to those who work it." In 1992, they were
finally beat the authorities. They now own the farm.
They grow beans, artichokes, peppers and produce high-quality olive oil.
The workers themselves control each phase of the production while the
land belongs to "the community as a whole". The farm includes a canning
facility, an olive mill, facilities for livestock and a farm store. No
matter what their position, the workers all get a salary of � 47 per day.
They work a 35-hour work week over six days and earn a monthly salary of
�1,128, at a time when the minimum wage in Spain is �641 per month. In
high season, the cooperative employs about 400 people and never less
than one hundred. But positions are not attributed to a specific person.
They are done on a rotation basis so as to insure a revenue for all. "To
work less so that all may work," that is the basic principal. In
addition, some people work their own small land parcels. The rest of
economic life is made of shops, basic services and sporting activities.
In practice, all of the residents of the village earn as much as a
worker at the cooperative.
Marinaleda�s experience
In an interview in P�blico last month, Mayor Gordillo himself explains
the repercussions of the crisis on Marinaleda. "In a general way, the
crisis was less noticeable in farming and food production," he says,
adding "What happened was that those people that had left the
countryside to work in construction came back, looking for work. As a
result, existing employment needs to be not only maintained but
increased. But remember that organic farming creates more jobs than
traditional agriculture."
For decades, as Spain was gripped by a real estate boom. Speculation
took over the construction sector. Marinaleda decided to swim against
the current. here, it is possible to rent a house of 90 square metres,
in good condition, and with a terrace for only �15 per month. The only
catch is that everybody must participate in the construction of their
home, in accordance with the philosophy that guides all of the
activities in Marinaleda. The local council obtained some land through a
mixed policy of purchase and expropriation.
Thus, it offers the land and provides all the building materials needed
to construct the house. The labour is left to the tenants themselves,
unless they pay someone to do it for them. Furthermore, the council
employs professional masons to provide advice to the residents on the
more complicated tasks. One last point, the future tenants do not know
which home will be theirs, which helps fosters a community spirit.
"A person working to build a house is paid �800 per month," notes Juan
Jos� Sancho, a resident of Marinaleda. "Half of the salary is used to
pay for the home," he says. Aged only 21, this young man is already a
member of the village "action squad", whose mission, through the village
assembly, is to manage daily business. According to him, "if this
measure was taken, it was so that real estate speculation would not be
possible".
Previously, a large number of the farm workers barely knew how to read.
Today, they have a kindergarten, a primary school and a secondary
school. School lunches cost only �15 per month. Yet, according to
Sancho, "The dropout rate is a little high. People have a home and are
assured a job, so many don't see the need to study. That is one of the
points on which we can improve."
In Marinaleda, there is no police force and political decisions are
taken by an assembly in which all citizens are asked to participate. As
for the "action squad", it deals with "all urgent questions, on a
day-to-day basis," explains Sancho, adding, "It is not a group of
elected officials. It is people who, together, decide how to allocate
tasks and what needs to be done in the best interest of the village."
As for taxes, "They are very low. They are the lowest in the entire
region," if Sancho is to be believed. The budget is decided in a plenary
session of the assembly, which also approves budget items. The process
then shifts to the neighbourhood level, with each neighbourhood having
its own assembly. It is at this level that the decision is made on how
to invest each euro of each budget item devised by council.
--
Dan Clore
New book: _Weird Words: A Lovecraftian Lexicon_:
http://tinyurl.com/yd3bxkw
My collected fiction: _The Unspeakable and Others_
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-unspeakable-and-others/6124911
Lord We�rdgliffe & Necronomicon Page:
http://tinyurl.com/292yz9
News & Views for Anarchists & Activists:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smygo
"From the point of view of the defense of our society,
there only exists one danger -- that workers succeed in
speaking to each other about their condition and their
aspirations _without intermediaries_."
--Censor (Gianfranco Sanguinetti), _The Real Report on
the Last Chance to Save Capitalism in Italy_
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smygo
http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/2601741-workers-cooperative-defies-crisis
Spain
Workers� cooperative defies crisis
29 August 2012
Unemployment is non-existent in Marinaleda, an Andalusian village in
southern Spain that is prosperous thanks to its farming cooperative. In
a country in the grip of austerity, the village mayor, Juan Manuel
S�nchez Gordillo, heads a grassroots resistance movement.
Juan Manuel S�nchez Gordillo, made the headlines recently by leading a
"forced expropriation" of food stuffs from several supermarkets.
Aided by his allies in the Andalusian Farmers' Union (SAT), the food was
then distributed to the most needy. Clearly, the mayor of Marinaleda
stands out among Spanish politicians.
S�nchez Gordillo is a historic leader of the Farm Workers' Union (SOC),
the backbone of the current SAT. He has been the mayor the little
village, which numbers fewer than 3,000 people and is in the Seville
region, since 1979. There, thanks to the participation and support of
the local population, he launched a unique political and economic
experiment which turned the village into a kind of socialist stronghold
in the midst of the Andalusian countryside.
New utopia
With the economic crisis, Marinaleda was given the chance to verify that
its 25 square kilometres of utopia is a genuine solution to market forces.
Its current rate of unemployment is zero per cent. A good part of the
residents are employed by the Cooperativa Humar-Marinaleda, created by
the farm workers themselves after years of struggle. For a long time,
the farmers repeatedly occupied the land of the El Humoso Farm, which
belonged to an aristocratic family.
Each time, they were dispersed by the Guardia Civil [police] and would
chant: "The land belongs to those who work it." In 1992, they were
finally beat the authorities. They now own the farm.
They grow beans, artichokes, peppers and produce high-quality olive oil.
The workers themselves control each phase of the production while the
land belongs to "the community as a whole". The farm includes a canning
facility, an olive mill, facilities for livestock and a farm store. No
matter what their position, the workers all get a salary of � 47 per day.
They work a 35-hour work week over six days and earn a monthly salary of
�1,128, at a time when the minimum wage in Spain is �641 per month. In
high season, the cooperative employs about 400 people and never less
than one hundred. But positions are not attributed to a specific person.
They are done on a rotation basis so as to insure a revenue for all. "To
work less so that all may work," that is the basic principal. In
addition, some people work their own small land parcels. The rest of
economic life is made of shops, basic services and sporting activities.
In practice, all of the residents of the village earn as much as a
worker at the cooperative.
Marinaleda�s experience
In an interview in P�blico last month, Mayor Gordillo himself explains
the repercussions of the crisis on Marinaleda. "In a general way, the
crisis was less noticeable in farming and food production," he says,
adding "What happened was that those people that had left the
countryside to work in construction came back, looking for work. As a
result, existing employment needs to be not only maintained but
increased. But remember that organic farming creates more jobs than
traditional agriculture."
For decades, as Spain was gripped by a real estate boom. Speculation
took over the construction sector. Marinaleda decided to swim against
the current. here, it is possible to rent a house of 90 square metres,
in good condition, and with a terrace for only �15 per month. The only
catch is that everybody must participate in the construction of their
home, in accordance with the philosophy that guides all of the
activities in Marinaleda. The local council obtained some land through a
mixed policy of purchase and expropriation.
Thus, it offers the land and provides all the building materials needed
to construct the house. The labour is left to the tenants themselves,
unless they pay someone to do it for them. Furthermore, the council
employs professional masons to provide advice to the residents on the
more complicated tasks. One last point, the future tenants do not know
which home will be theirs, which helps fosters a community spirit.
"A person working to build a house is paid �800 per month," notes Juan
Jos� Sancho, a resident of Marinaleda. "Half of the salary is used to
pay for the home," he says. Aged only 21, this young man is already a
member of the village "action squad", whose mission, through the village
assembly, is to manage daily business. According to him, "if this
measure was taken, it was so that real estate speculation would not be
possible".
Previously, a large number of the farm workers barely knew how to read.
Today, they have a kindergarten, a primary school and a secondary
school. School lunches cost only �15 per month. Yet, according to
Sancho, "The dropout rate is a little high. People have a home and are
assured a job, so many don't see the need to study. That is one of the
points on which we can improve."
In Marinaleda, there is no police force and political decisions are
taken by an assembly in which all citizens are asked to participate. As
for the "action squad", it deals with "all urgent questions, on a
day-to-day basis," explains Sancho, adding, "It is not a group of
elected officials. It is people who, together, decide how to allocate
tasks and what needs to be done in the best interest of the village."
As for taxes, "They are very low. They are the lowest in the entire
region," if Sancho is to be believed. The budget is decided in a plenary
session of the assembly, which also approves budget items. The process
then shifts to the neighbourhood level, with each neighbourhood having
its own assembly. It is at this level that the decision is made on how
to invest each euro of each budget item devised by council.
--
Dan Clore
New book: _Weird Words: A Lovecraftian Lexicon_:
http://tinyurl.com/yd3bxkw
My collected fiction: _The Unspeakable and Others_
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-unspeakable-and-others/6124911
Lord We�rdgliffe & Necronomicon Page:
http://tinyurl.com/292yz9
News & Views for Anarchists & Activists:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smygo
"From the point of view of the defense of our society,
there only exists one danger -- that workers succeed in
speaking to each other about their condition and their
aspirations _without intermediaries_."
--Censor (Gianfranco Sanguinetti), _The Real Report on
the Last Chance to Save Capitalism in Italy_
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