Workers' Self-management, Recovered Companies and the Sociology of Work.

We analyse how far Argentina's worker-recovered companies (WRCs) have sustained themselves and their principles of equity and workers' self-management since becoming widespread following the country's 2001-2 economic crisis. Specialist Spanish-language sources, survey data and documents are analysed through four key sociological themes. We find that the number of WRCs has increased in Argentina, and that they represent a viable production model. Further, they have generally maintained their central principles and even flourished. This occurred despite the global economic crisis, legal and financial pressures to adopt capitalist practices and management structures, the risk of market absorption and state attempts to coopt, demobilise and depoliticise the movement. We argue that today they function as a much-needed international beacon of an alternative vision for labour and that integration of their experience has potential to revitalise the field.

Transformaciones en las subjetividades de los trabajadores: casos de empresas recuperadas / Transformations in workers’ subjectivities: cases from recovered Colombian companies

Este artículo presenta los resultados de un proyecto de investigación interdisciplinar que exploró las trasformaciones en la subjetividad en cuatro empresas colombianas que, luego de haberse enfrentado a una crisis económica o a la quiebra, fueron entregadas a sus trabajadores para ser recuperadas. La metodología utilizada fue el de estudio de caso; se revisaron documentos de fuentes primarias y secundarias, se realizaron entrevistas a semiestructuradas y grupos focales. Los resultados permitieron evidenciar que frente a esta experiencia, en todos los casos, los trabajadores transformaron las comprensiones que tenían sobre ellos mismos y sus relaciones sociales, pero solo en uno de ellos se pudo observar una revalorización de su condición de trabajador.

This paper presents the results of an interdisciplinary research project that explored the subjectivity’s changes of workers, in the four Colombian companies that after has an economical crisis or insolvency, was delivered to their workers to be recovered. The methodology used was the case study, reviewed documents of primary and secondary sources, in-depth interviews and focus groups. The results show that compared to this experience in all cases, workers had transformed understandings about themselves and their social relations, but only one of them saw a revaluation of its status as a worker.