Strategies for recognition and social protection in worker cooperatives in the municipality of San Martín, Province of Buenos Aires

Abstract

The transformations in the world of work and economic structure that took place in Argentina during the 1980s and 1990s gave rise to non-traditional forms of work, primarily based on associative and self-managed experiences. Among these forms, worker cooperativism stands out as one of the most prominent cases due to its degree of formalization, institutionalization, and its evolution into a relevant social actor. The fundamental differences between worker cooperatives and traditional wage labor lead these cooperatives to deploy strategies aimed at gaining recognition as a non-traditional form of work while simultaneously matching the social protections associated with wage labor. This paper examines and analyzes these strategies through the study of six worker cooperatives in the municipality of San Martín, Province of Buenos Aires.