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On May 18th, workers at the GKN factory in Florence led another stunning demonstration of 10,000 people, calling for public intervention by the Tuscany regional government to hand the factory over to them - and uniting numerous struggles at the same time, from Palestine to deaths at work to trans rights, as they have done throughout their struggle.
Previously a factory producing parts for luxury cars that none of the workers could ever hope to afford, the workers went into permanent assembly in the factory back in July 2021 and stopped it from closing. Now they have come up with a reindustrialization plan to produce solar panels and cargo bikes - under workers' control, and for the benefit of the community rather than for profit.
But as the permanent assembly approaches an incredible three years, the workers haven't been paid for five months - and are seriously struggling. Public intervention to hand the factory over to the workers is now very urgent. On top of starting an encampment inspired by students' action over Palestine, three of the workers are now on hunger strike until their demands are met.
So this is the time to stand up and support them. If they manage to win, it can act as a shining example to show the path to a better world - not just in Italy, but everywhere - and as you'll see in the full version of the video, the GKN struggle is now also the spearhead of the fight against fascism in Italy.
The next four weeks are absolutely crucial in deciding the outcome, so please do what you can ...
WHAT YOU CAN DO
1) Spread the word of what the workers are trying to achieve by sharing this video, and following them on social media; website insorgiamo.org, Facebook coordinamentogknfirenze, Instagram @collettivofabbricagkn.
2) Donate to the popular share issue to raise 1,000,000 euros and become part of the assembly that will run the factory - nearly 800,000 euros raised so far. IMPORTANT: THE CLOSING DATE IS JUNE 30 ...
People have been asking how they can contribute to this as individuals, or if they can't afford £500; fortunately the Climate Justice Coalition have set up a crowdfunder in the UK so that you can pay what you can afford, and still be involved in the assembly.
You can pledge money in the UK at https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-gkn-autoworkers-just-transition-struggle, or in other countries go to insorgiamo.org/100x10-000
3) Order a cargo bike for a donation. The cargo bikes are now in production - get one for your group, give the workers feedback on its functioning and promote the campaign at the same time. Get more info, and order a bike, at https://insorgiamo.org/cargo-bike/
4) Keep 12 July free, when the third anniversary of the occupation will be celebrated in Florence - and an organised international presence is planned from all over Europe. There are already people interested in going from the UK, and Reel News will definitely be going; if you're interested too, contact us at info@reelnews.co.uk so we can give GKN workers an idea of numbers coming nearer the time - obviously people physically coming to support them will give them a huge lift at such a difficult time.
5) Organise a screening of the video to build support - we can send you a high quality version for free if you're up for doing that. Reel News will be premiering the film at Glastonbury (more details below). |
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