213.000 — one conto is worth 1.000 escudos), and the workers commission calculated that they needed 100,000 contos (E1.8 million) in order to re-start full production. It was explained that since the workers had taken over they had been forced to stop production three times, and that at present they had agreed to reduce the work-rate in order to provide work for all. However, in spite of these some workers had lost their jobs. save jobs, with the Ministry demanding cuts in employment.
In the furniture factory of Cincomo, however, the workers commission is made up of revolutionaries and independents. The struggle here began in December 1974, when the management sacked one of the members of the recently formed workers commission.
After a strike lasting 33 days, which not only was the return of the sacked worker demanded but also the payment of the traditional Christmas bonus and the expulsion of some The workers immediately took. over the factory, and in order to show that they were genuinely looking for a solution in the interests of all the workers, even re-integrated the scabs who had refused to join in the strike. Equally immediately the banks (not yet nationalised then) and the raw material suppliers froze credit and deliveries. But fortunately the departed boss had been unable to take all the capital belonging to the business with him, and they were able to use this to cover themselves against this attempted sab-