Running time: 2 mins 20 secs
***WATCH FULL FILM AT https://youtu.be/y-KSvcvTnfQ ***
This July, workers at the GKN automotive engineering plant in Florence, Italy passed an incredible three years in permanent assembly – by some way the longest factory occupation in Italian history. They celebrated with an incredible outdoor concert , followed by a huge demonstration through the centre of the city – at 2 o’clock in the morning.
That would be historic enough in itself – but what started out as a standard industrial dispute to save jobs has transformed into a visionary rank and file worker led movement for just transition, with a reindustrialisation plan to move from producing parts for luxury cars, to solar panels and cargo bikes. All under workers control, and for the benefit of the community, not for profit.
There have been enormous strides in the past few months. The regional government is now accepting that public intervention could be possible to buy the factory off the current owners and hand it to the workers; they now need to find the technical means to do it. The workers are producing protoypes of the cargo bikes which are being tested out in Italy and beyond to fit them to people’s needs, and most importantly, are being used to hold mass meetings to work out what else need to change and be fought for to make them, together with buses and trains, part of a real transition to sustainable mobility.
But most incredibly, nearly €1million has already been raised to start production via their popular shareholder scheme. Every individual or group who buys shares becomes part of the assembly that will collective run the factory if the workers win – and the first assembly is due to be held in Florence on 12-13 October. You can part of it too by buying shares before the scheme closes on September 30.
Through mass assemblies of workers, a movement has been built that is challenging the capitalist model, in a country that has a far-right government. The occupied GKN factory is now acting as a focal point to support refugees, support the struggle for a Free Palestine, show solidarity with trans people under attack from the government, provide solidarity with anti-fascist campaigns and much more.
That is why a GKN factory occupation – UK solidarity network has been set up, involving union activists from rail, education, construction, firefighting and delivery unions. Our aim is to raise the profile of the GKN occupation and to send a contingent of trade unionists and activists for the GKN international mass assembly on the 12 and 13 October in Florence – and then to try and replicate their example back here.
Union branches and community activists UK can support the GKN occupation in many ways:
• Send a message of support to the ex-GKN workers at collettivo.gkn.firenze@gmail.com
• Share & show the Reel News videos about the GKN occupation at meetings
• Elect a delegate and/or donate for low paid workers to attend the mass assembly in October (DONATE TO APPEAL AT https://reelnews.co.uk)
• Buy shares in the popular share issue at https://insorgiamo.org/100×10-000/
