Sanitarios Maracay

Sanitarios Maracay is a ceramic bathroom products factory, located in Aragua, Venezuela. It currently is operating under worker's control, meaning all workers receive equal compensation and have equal control over the workings of the company, without any higher level of management. The previous owner, after years of conflict with workers regarding salary and conditions, had attempted to close the factory. It was occupied and re-opened by workers on November 16, 2006, and put back into production.

This example of a small company in Venezuela has garnered considerable attention worldwide, as it is a practical application of full worker's control (where in a truly democratic fashion all decisions are made, and the running of the company is fully in the control of employees), which is seen as a fundamental requirement of true socialism, as opposed to state socialism, where the state runs industry on behalf of the population.

Sanitarios Maracay is currently petitioning for nationalisation of the company and full recognition of their desired state as a company under worker's control.

External resources

The Struggle for Workers’ Power in Venezuela [http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/2523]

Sanitarios Maracay, a first balance-sheet of an heroic struggle [http://www.marxist.com/sanitarios-maracay-balance-sheet.htm]