The „Strike Bike“ - Solidarity-Bikes from Nordhausen

international | worker & community struggles and protests | news report Thursday September 20, 2007 10:57 by robert hamm

Staff of occupied bicycle factory in the Thuringian Nordhausen take up production in self-management again

Staff in the Thuringian town Nordhausen hold occupied their factory 'Bike-Systems' for two months now in an attempt to prevent the factory being closed down. Met with remarkable solidarity from their wider community the workers now decided to kick-start production of bicycles in self-management. To be able to do so however they need a guaranteed number of 1800 orders in advance for their 'city-bike'. These orders need to be in by 2nd of October.

The 135 colleagues of the bicycle factory Bike Systems GmbH in the Thuringian Nordhausen, who keep the factory occupied since 10th of July 2007, decided to resume production of bicycles in self-management. For this aim 1,800 binding orders on bicycles must be received by 2nd of October. So the collegues are working together with the anarcho-syndicalist union FAU (Freie Arbeiterinnen- und Arbeiter-Union – Free Workers-Union), which formed for this campaign the internetpage www.strike-bike.de.

Since more than two months the staff keep the factory in the south of Harz Mountains in three shifts occupied. They want to prevent the definite dismantling and sale of the factory. The file for bankruptcy from 10th of august is against long odds: The factory is exploited and ran down, the hall was emptied except for the coating line. The staff receives unemployment compensation and hoped for a new concept and a new investor.

In the time of occupation and in the wake of discussions during visits of solidary people, the colleagues in the factory developed the idea to initially take up the production in self-management for a short time. Because it's not the point to only prevent the evacuation of the last machines and to wait for a new investor, the idea of an own ”Strike-Bike“ was met with more and more response. Now the opportunity arises to show the ability to develop an own concept and to self-manage production and distribution.

If all goes well in collecting 1,800 advance orders for the bicycles produced in self-direction, we spread solidary ideas and bolster the colleagues in similar situations not to let themselves easily being restructured to zero. By whomsoever!

The staff gets assistancy by the solidary members of anarcho-syndicalist union Freie Arbeiterinnen- und Arbeiter-Union (Free workers-union), who will become active all over Germany to spread the knowledge of the struggle of the bycicle-workers and to support the sale of the „Strike-Bike“.

More Informations can be found at: www.strike-bike.de

for background informations and history of the occupation (in German) www.labournet.de/branchen/sonstige/fahrzeug/bikesystems.html

To get in contact with the staff and to take orders

»Bikes in Nordhausen e.V.«
c/o. André Kegel,
Bruno-Kunze-Str. 39 - 99734 Nordhausen
Telefon: 03631 - 622 124 and 03631 - 403 591
Fax: 03631 - 622 170
eMail: fahrradwerk@gmx.de

For further informations about the campaign of the FAU-„Strike Bike“-Solidaritygroup:

Spokesperson:
Folkert Mohrhof
- mobile 0179-4863252 and ...
respectively monday till friday from 10 am till 3 pm:
+49 40 - 20 90 68 96