The media was busy highlighting the struggle of the workers of a tea processing and packaging factory in the South of France in 2010. The Fralib workers staged an occupation of their factory for over 3 years in order to resist closure by Unilever, who wanted to move the factory to Poland and deprive locals of their livelihoods. In the end, the workers won their battle with the multinational and reclaimed their factory. Now, they have taken full control of Europe’s largest tea processing and packaging factory, collectively building a new brand, Scop Ti.
Director Laura Coppens told the story of these warrior workers through her documentary, Taste of Hope (2019), which was screened at Bioskop Sonobudoyo as a part of the Utopia/Dystopia program at Festival Film Dokumenter 2023. Coppens was also present at the screening and shared her experiences during the discussion session. Using an observational approach, Coppens explained that this fly-on-the-wall approach was more appropriate because she saw how the factory workers had been trained to answer the questions of journalists who arrived during the occupation. According to Coppens, the perception of them in the media at that time was very negative.
Coppens discussed her focus on issues related to workers’ struggles and alternative economies. “They didn’t know how to take care of the administration. Before they were all just workers operating machines. They also taught themselves how to market and sell products, the basics of how to survive in a capitalistic system.” Coppens said. One of the big issues in this documentary is how they have to survive in a system that they used to oppose, a capitalistic system that is at odds with their left-wing movements and politics.
Coppens mentioned the struggle of principles among the workers who faced the fact that they too had to sell their products to buyers who may have different political views. At the same time, she said that the struggle of principles among the workers faced the fact that they had to sell their products to buyers who may have different political views.
However, Coppens never stops focusing on the human aspect of the story of Taste of Hope (2019). From crowdfunding to pay their salaries, to volunteering to train Scop Ti’s workers, the story is filled with humanity. Coppens also helps to sell Scop Ti tea in his home country. These ex-Fralib workers managed to defeat a multinational corporation. They went through a difficult pandemic and with a lot of help, they are still standing, still fighting today. The passion and solidarity with the workers’ struggle shown by Scop Ti in Taste of Hope (2019) and also by Laura Coppens in making the documentary should be seen as a sign of solidarity with the workers’ struggle.
Covered by Aradi Ghalizha pada December 6, 2023.
