Wishing that there wasn't competition is the slippery slope

Nobody is doing that. The article specifically mentions pursuing opportunities in the export market.

Obviously mandating workers-ownership is authoritarian in itself.

The workers bought out the previous owners, presumably due to frustration with the firm having had 4 near-collapses in the last 20 years under the capitalistic management approach.Your objections seem conditioned rather than considered; did you actually think any of this through, or are just just reacting to concepts that make you uncomfortable while overlooking the facts?