Tvornica Radnicima

The occupation of the ITAS machine tool factory in Ivanec, Croatia, is considered to be the only successful factory occupation in Eastern Europe. In order to avoid the vicious circle of privatisation, bankruptcy and unemployment the workers take matters into their own hands. In the meantime however the company starts to feel the consequences of market globalisation: There is a shortage of skilled workers since the old are retiring and the young are moving to the West, where they can expect to receive better pay. The struggle for economic survival continues, accompanied by dramatic existential fears. The prospects for saving the factory are discussed with increasing desperation; potential German investors are received almost submissively, with exaggerated hope, as memories of a supposedly more stable past arise. Meanwhile the workers themselves cannot always agree on which path of action to take and indeed whether or not it's even worth the effort.