Ciao!

They make great ice cream

A reader pointed me to a Washington Post article I missed. It seems independent workers' cooperatives are saving Argentine businesses. As you (hopefully) know, Argentina's economy collapsed months ago. Some workers refused to give up after their employers went bankrupt. In the process, some businesses have improved under worker management. Here's an excerpt:

This factory, located in an aging industrial sector on the southern outskirts of the capital, is now operating 12 hours a day, at 50 percent of capacity. Workers say they hope to be running at close to 100 percent by year's end. Taking advantage of a trimmed management payroll, the workers have increased their own monthly wages from about $160 to $265 and lowered the prices of their goods. Part of the improvement comes from subsidies, but the workers say that revenue and productivity have increased even when state support is taken into account. In a recent survey, retailers said the quality of Ghelco products has improved.

I've been a fan of "workplace democracy" for some time. If democracy's good for political decisions, why not for economic ones? If common citizens are trusted to make decisions about their country's fate, why can't they make decisions for their workplace? After all, they have a strong vested interest in their place of employment. For a powerful, liberal argument in favor of workplace democracy, read Robert Dahl's A Preface to Economic Democracy.

Posted by Miguel at 11:51 PM

Comments

Posted by: Stephanie at March 12, 2003 03:47 PM