ABSTRACT
The article discusses the specific characteristics of company takeovers for production under workers’ self-management. It is based on case studies of three factories in Europe that were occupied by their workers between 2010 and 2013: the former Unilever tea and infusion production and packing plant Scop Ti in France; the former chemical construction material factory Vio.Me. in Greece; and the former air conditioning ducts for cars production site RiMaflow in Italy. The article first looks at the global relevance of Worker Recuperated Enterprises (WREs) and sums up some general characteristics of WREs. Then it presents the three case studies, which faced different starting points and took three different paths. The article looks at their struggle and performance, their internal structures, external relationships, common characteristics and differences, as well as at the context in which they operate and how they develop new ways to work and survive with different ideals in a hostile environment. Finally, some conclusions are drawn.
