Cooperativa Uruven was a worker-owned tannery in Montevideo, Uruguay. The legacy company was founded in the the 1970s and operated until a series of operational and market challenges caused it to close in 1997. Threatened with job loss, the tannery was “productively occupied” by its workers, and run as a self-managed enterprise, with support from the tannery workers union. At peak the the factory had 800 workers. 230 participated in the occupation.
Though the occupation succeeded, the equipment was old, and business was significantly disrupted in 2001 when foot-and-mouth disease caused a supply chain crisis. The cooperative mostly subcontracted per-façon piecework for other tanneries when there was extra demand. By 2008 there were only 60 workers, and by 2013 just 30.
The cooperative received some government support. In 2005 they received a large investment from the Venezuelan government alongside two other Uruguayan co-ops, Cristalería del Uruguay and Funsa. The investment helped Uruven them buy their factory, resolve a standing conflict with their landlord. In return they were asked to help train the Venezuelan tannery sector.
Uruven also also received money from Uruguayan national cooperative development fund Fondes after it was created in 2011. The funds helped them update their effluent plant, permitted them to increase production.
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2020s
2010s
- El Observador – La metamorfosis de trabajador dependiente a propietario (2013)
- La Red 21 – Uruven va por último préstamo para producir (2011)
- Abbadie et al – Praxis de incubación entre sujetos colectivos: el caso de URUVEN (2010)
- Dabezies – El viaje continua… El punto cero fue superado…¿dónde estamos, quiénes somos, con quién estamos, cómo somos hoy? (2010)
- Cooperativa URUVEN- Empresa recuperada por sus trabajadores (2010)
2000s