Many people in Bulgaria are familiar with the struggle of the Thesaloniki workers, who decided to fight for their jobs. This is a fight we have been following through the years and we were sincerely happy for their achievements. The struggle of the workers from VIO.ME started in 2011 when they decided they will not be another victim of unemployment, but they have the courage and skills to run the factory and their own lives by themselves.
After long and difficult attempts, and thanks to the support from the Greek and international society, the factory in Thesaloniki starts producing in the beginning of 2013, under workers control entirely. Since then VIO.ME staff is managing their production by themselves. They have decided to rely on direct-democratic self-governance and ecologically clean production, starting an example of a modern manufacture (like many other self-managed productions in Europe and South America), based on ethical and social foundations, in spite of greed and fraudulency. They showed us another way is possible, here and now.
Today, the workers of VIO.ME are faced a big challenge. The previous owners are attacking the factory in court, trying to sabotage the production, to take hold of the possessions and try to sell them off. A trial is scheduled in the Greek court for 23rd March. The VIO.ME workers expressed readiness to defend the factory on every price and with every means.
The Greek society is also supporting them – in the coming days there will be protests, actions and concerts in entire Greece in support of the self-managed workers. We will not stay idly as well. If the Greek court decides to support the previous owners, who abandoned the factory 4 years ago and now attempt to rob it again, we are ready to organize protests and demonstrations of solidarity in front of the Greek embassies and representative offices in Bulgaria.
Autonomous Worker’s Syndicate – Bulgaria (АРС)
