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forest444

(5,902 posts)
2. And not a moment too soon.
Sun Nov 29, 2015, 03:20 PM
Nov 2015

The official Kirchner-era policy regarding the 200 or so worker-recovered enterprises (the ones Naomi Klein so eloquently featured in her 2004 documentary The Take, and to a lesser extent in Shock Doctrine) has been to support them. Labor Minister Carlos Tomada, who has been at this post during both Kirchner presidencies, has been a particularly staunch advocate for their rights.

In some cases such as this one, however, the former owners have been able to use Buenos Aires municipal courts (which are still largely Opus Dei-controlled) to harass these co-ops for years - but they've never gotten their way because the federal government has been able to mediate most such disputes, and has made effective use of bankruptcy laws in cases where former owners refused to negotiate (they had, after all, declared bankruptcy in order to write off debts - often improperly so).

The protection these co-ops enjoy is probably going to be a thing of the past though.

Had Congress not been able to transfer ownership to the Bauen Co-op before Cristina Kirchner left office, it's almost certain that the Macri administration would have used past rulings from the "business friendly" municipal courts to justify their eviction - even a violent one.

I'm very happy for these brave men and women. I hope Macri can find it in his heart to be too.

Latest Discussions»Region Forums»Latin America»Expropriation of Hotel Ba...»Reply #2