The Transeuropa Caravans
Connecting Local Alternative Voices
reimburse employees for the months they were unemployed60.
its feet, but more importantly, they have opened the way for a radical
solution. Vio.Me61 – Viomichaniki Metalleutiki (Industrial Mineral) –
for new, more democratic and fair work structures.
In Thessaloniki the workers of a closed factory came up with a different used to be a factory producing construction material and was abandoned by its bankrupt owner, leaving workers without wages or bene-
a powerful precedent for workers against any type of exploitation and
fits. In July 2011, workers (organised notably thanks to the union
Giving Substance to Alternatives
reopened it in February 2013 as a social cooperative, under the name
other are common in their search for alternatives, alternatives to the
present in the factory) decided with a very large majority (97.5% approved at the General Assembly) to occupy the factory. The workers
These examples of civic initiatives, while greatly diverse among each
Everyone is paid the same, the cooperative is organised horizontally
sector which with the recent economic crisis has proven to be the
of Vio.Me. This is the first self-managed cooperative in Greece.
and is operated collectively. Workers’ assemblies are held each morning to organise the day’s production. Another type of assembly takes place every other week to collectively discuss the general strategy of the factory, without any leader or representative. For instance, the
workers decided to move away from the production of chemicals for
construction materials to use the machines to produce organic hygiene products, as it corresponded more to a need of society.
Vio.Me functions according to principles that differ fundamen-
tally from capitalist structures. When it comes to production or distribution, the cooperative
doesn’t think in terms of ‘marketing’, ‘competition’ or ‘profit’.
Products are moved through
close networks to which they E. Dalibot, “Self-Management of the Workplace is Possible”, Sofia, Bulgaria
change not only in Greece, but in Europe and in the world, by setting
have time to tell their story. A
very high value is given to la-
bour costs and a low one to capital. One of Vio.Me’s aims is to share
profits with those in need, in particular with unemployed people.
crisis, to austerity, to exclusion. It is precisely the work of the third
most important, providing support to different groups of society, where governments will not. Yet it is also this sector which has ex-
perienced significant cuts itself, rendering the continuation of their services difficult. Despite this, the number of initiatives, as we have seen, are endless and their effects on people’s lives immeasurable.
The best civic initiatives are ‘human scale’ – with people feeling ownership over the impact that they create. What many activist groups bring
is a source of energy and hope, as well as practical ways to take action against the injustices they face. The paradox is that if the projects can
begin to transform people’s lives without money, the opportunities of
what they could to with funding are endless. But if they do not receive support, while some may self-organise to stay as self-sufficient as pos-
sible, others may burn out, leaving communities without any form of support. So whether it’s an unconditional basic income for individuals
to support themselves or an EU Financial Transaction Tax to finance initiatives helping others, radical transnational action is needed to invest in the solidarity that communities across Europe are developing.
Furthermore, they have already started to put the company back on
60 www.thelocal.es/20140613/coke-forced-to-rehire-wronged-workers 61 www.viome.org
54 - Work and Welfare
55 - Survival and Resistance in the Age of Austerity