135 sacked workers at the Bike Systems GmbH bicycle factory in Nordhausen,Thuringen (in the old GDR) have resumed production of bicycles under workers’ control, by occupying the factory since 10th of July 2007.
If you are thinking of buying a new bike in the near future, have a look at their Strike Bikes web site. Click on “english” to get a babelfish-style translation. For 275 euros – under £200 – you get a city bike with a state of the art hub dynamo, three gears, and reverse-pedal braking. The workers are trying to build up 1800 pre-orders by 2nd October to create a viable basis for production under workers’ control.
You can email your support to fahrradwerk@gmx.de