Fire the Director: The Making of 'The Take'

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How long has it been | since you were in here?

Oh, for me it's been 2 or 3 years.

They fired me before | the factory closed down.

I just found my mat cup.

What's strange is that | there aren't any pigeons.

Maybe on their last visit | they took the pigeons too.

This place used to be full | of pigeons.

Vacations by the sea

The Peron government | delivers on its promises.

Arriving at the Miramar resort are | tourists of all ages and both sexes,

who are going to have a happy | vacation by the sea.

Michel Camdessus | Managing director, IMF

If you want to get your factory | back, guys, get your asses in gear.

You're owed 3.2 million pesos | in unpaid wages.

Let's pressure them with that.

The factory is worth 3.6 million.

They're offering half a million. | This is ridiculous.

Let's keep the factory and | forget the money they owe us.

We have to think about this, | about the takeover.

Because you've seen that | they already want to sell the trucks,

with the excuse of paying | for the security.

But that's just an excuse.

We won't let them, | we won't let it happen.

They're taking the heart out of | this factory so we can't start it up.

I didn't work here.

I'm from the National Movement | of Recovered Companies.

You were the workers | at this factory.

You're the ones who will get | the jobs back.

This may sound like a jingle | to you, but it's not a jingle.

The National Movement of | Recovered Factories has a slogan:

Occupy,

Resist,

and Produce.

I worked for 15 years in | this factory as a tool and die maker.

My monthly salary was $1200, | it was really good money.

Today I don't have that.

Thanks to Forja | we have this house.

For some people it may be | nothing, but to us it's everything.

It used to be that the money | I made I could spend on myself.

I used to buy perfume, creams, | makeup and clothes.

We had credit cards.

Well, we both worked but | we would enjoy what we earned.

I think it's been a year since | we've gone anywhere.

It's been some time.

They don't even remember what | a McDonalds Happy Meal looks like.

Before we weren't worried | but now we are.

And what I earn now | doesn't cover it all.

It covers food or the debts.

If I pay the debts | the girls don't eat.

If the girls eat, I don't pay | the debts.

I prefer not to pay the debts, | so they build up...

This is big, brother.

How could we be suffering | and going hungry...

when such a huge place is just | sitting here, closed?

Look, there's even cobwebs.

You know which cable | is missing?

Remember the one that we put | there for the crane?

That's the one that's missing.

This used to be completely full.

Here you can see the outlines,

and in the other warehouse as well,

there were containers full | of raw materials.

Now there isn't one. | Not a single one.

They all disappeared.

It's a disaster.

You know what worries me? | There aren't any pigeons.

This place used to be filled | with pigeons.

- They must have died of sadness | - Of hunger.

But this is a sin.

It's been 3 years since | they fired me,

and I haven't found another job.

Now I come and I see the things | in my locker,

like the drawings that my son did.

It makes me feel bad to see | all of this shut down.

I don't know what else to tell you,

everything's dirty.

In the cooperative,

we'll all be administrators.

I'll check on what he does, | and he'll check on me.

Of course we're going to have | to be more conscientious,

and not be too bourgeois, | like before under the boss.

When you would duck into a corner | for a break whenever you could.

Now, no. If a light is on, | turn it off if it's not necessary.

The salaries will all be equal.

There won't be exaggerated | salaries like there were before,

which was one of the things | that caused all this.

In the community of San Martin, | on this day, March 7th.

We have found a significant | number of things missing.

Which is why our assembly | has decided, by a majority,

that from this date, we will | guard the factory permanently,

in order to protect the premises,

and stop the factory | from being emptied out.

Now everything depends | on the judge.

That's why we're staying here. | From today until...

Until they kick us out.

Until they kick us out.

We don't know how to do this.

We're just learning.

Our goal is to get to where other | recovered companies are today.

Those who went through the same | struggle that we are facing now.

Like Zanon Ceramics.

Zanon is our inspiration. | I think we'll get there.

"Forja San Martin: | Occupied Factory"

"Zanon Ceramics:
| Belongs to the Workers"

Luis Zanon | Owner Zanon Ceramics

I'm going to get it back.

The government will | give it back to me.

The government will | give it back to me.

What the guys in Zanon did,

fighting against the police,

with just marbles,

like when we were | kids with slingshots,

against real weapons,

they took over the factory.

A little question...

What do you think of the Zanon | plant under worker control?

That it works better than | under the former owners.

Because at least people | are working.

The tiles are cheaper...

and the future is brighter than | it was under the owners.

All they did was get subsidies | from the state - nothing else.

And they kept the money | for themselves.

All I know is that the community | supports them 100 percent.

Because they're not stealing, | they're not killing anyone.

On the contrary - they're | working to feed their families.

There are many companies that | should be in the hands of the workers.

But it seems that this is not | politically convenient.

That's the real problem.

And now that we are in | production...

Mr. Zanon, you can kiss our asses!

What can I say?

It's not true, | it's not of the people.

The investment was mine, | all the work was mine.

I put in everything. | It can't be "of the people".

Raul Godoy | Zanon Union Leader

There's another word:

Expropriation.

And that's what we're going for.

Here comes the explosion

Here comes the explosion

Of my guitar

And your government

As well.

"Zanon is of the people: | Support the workers"

Workers, without ideology, | without trying to prove anything,

Luis Zamora | Member of Parliament

out of necessity, are putting | factories back to work.

It's exactly what Capitalism, every | day, tries to prove is impossible.

Bosses are supposed | to be indispensable.

Instituto Comunicationes | Private School

Instituto Comunicationes | Private School | Under Worker Control

Clinica Medrano | Health Clinic

Clinica Medrano | Health Clinic | Under Worker Control

What we've learned is | that in a business,

participatory democracy | is more efficient.

Because if you vote often,

you get used to winning,

but you also get used to losing.

Also you learn to accept | the decision of the majority.

Astillero Almirante Brown | Shipbuilding | Under Worker Control

Ghelco | Ice Cream Factory | Under Worker Control

Brukman | Suit Factory | Under Worker Control

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