Worker Co-operative Council Elections 2010

It's that time of the year again, yes your chance (if your a member of Co-operatives UK that is) to vote for your representatives to the Worker Co-operative Council.  This year there are three seats available and four nominees. Ballot papers should have been issued on Monday 26th April and will be finding their way to your Company/Society Secretary. For information on nominees see below:

Nominee: Bob Cannell
Nominating Organisation: Suma Foods
After 30 years in worker co-operatives and 4 on the Worker Co-operative Council, Bob is still enthusiastically promoting and developing democratic management.

He is a Personnel Officer at Suma and assists worker co-operatives across the UK through his ‘other’ co-op, Co-operative Business Consultants (also a Co-operativesUK member). Bob helped write the Co-ops UK Management guide for worker co-operatives, the Worker Code, which he will promote to anyone if given half a chance!

Bob has lots of experience as a Board Member of Co-operativesUK and is the UK representative to CECOP, the European federation for worker co-ops, which experience he shares via his blog www.bobcannell.blogspot.com. Vote for Bob to help the Worker Co-operative Council to help employee owners help themselves.

Nominee: Alison Joan Banton
Nominating Organisation: Dulas Ltd
I am blessed that I’ve spent all my working life (18 – 45!) working within worker owned structures and I wouldn’t work any other way.

In 1983 I helped revive Crewe’s Wholefood Co-op ‘Quickening Pulses’ with my partner Neil. Three years later we retreated to Wales and I joined the Centre for Alternative Technology and stayed for an amazing 10 years leaving to have my daughter Yali and join Dulas Ltd, a small renewable energy company based in the same valley. I’ve been their senior management accountant/company secretary and sometime FD for 13 years now and our small company has grown into one of the country’s leading renewable energy specialists wholly owned by its 70+ workers.

All businesses face challenges, but worker-owned businesses seem to excel at creating even more and I’d relish joining the council and bringing co-ops together to tackle some of these challenges and to let the business world know that co-ops rock!

Nominee: Sion Whellens
Nominating Organisation: Calverts
Sion comes from Calverts, the communications design and printing co-operative. Elected onto the Council in 2005, he sits on the Board of Co-operatives UK as one of our two worker co-op representatives.
Sion founded the Principle Six business referral network. He is Vice-Chair of Co-operatives London and a raised-eyebrow member of the Co-op Party.

He wants to win understanding and respect for worker co-operation from the wider movement and to help Co-operatives UK represent our isolated and underestimated, but important, group of worker co-operatives.
Sion wants to help turn Co-ops UK into a dynamic, respected and outward facing organisation which will campaign effectively for our business model, to support the growth of our individual co-ops and expand our share of the economy. He also wants to help re-arm the wider population with a knowledge that there are alternatives to socially useless, undemocratic, exploitative and ecocidal ‘business as usual’.

Nominee: Linda Bratcher
Nominating Organisation: Total Coverage
I’m proud to be a co-director of Total Coverage, a successful graphic design workers’ cooperative based in Southampton. I’ve been with the co-operative for seven years and we’ve just celebrated our 22nd year in business so I understand the issues associated in managing a co-operative business as well as doing my day-to-day work as a sales account handler.

I’m standing for election to the Worker Co-operative Council hoping that if elected, I’ll be able to ensure issues that matter to employee-owned businesses and workers’ co-operatives are brought to Co-operatives UK board level.

I’m hoping to give fresh ideas and skills to the Council as well as offering my broad range of skills, motivation and enthusiasm. I’m keen to promote and raise the profile of employee owned businesses and workers’co-operatives to the whole co-operative movement and beyond.

ECC Election Results

Who cares about the Council and European Elections. The Employee Co-operative Council results are in. Britta Wermer (Unicorn) & Babs McGregor (Green City) have been re-elected. There are also two new faces, Ed Russell of Co-operative Web and Dan Harris from Oxford Cycle Workshop. The new members will join at the first meeting after Congress and will stand for two years as your represenatives at Co-operativesUK.

MACGREGOR, Babs 266 ELECTED
WERNER, Britta 245 ELECTED
RUSSELL, Ed 154 ELECTED
HARRIS, Dan 138 ELECTED
GORECKI, Nik 136
SCHWARZ, Paul 52

No we haven't had a massive jump in membership. Co-operativesUK represents 170 Worker and Employeee Owned Co-operatives. As a secondary co-operative votes are weighted by the economic participation of a member.

Thanks to all members that took part in the elections half of whom voted using our new online system.

If you have any priorities or issues you would like to pass onto the ECC for their consideration, please contact me.

ECC Elections now open for voting

Nominations for the Employee Co-operative Council have now officially closed and members should be receiving ballot papers through the post in the next week. There are four places available with 6 potential candidates so choose wisely! Biographies below, in no particular order:

Babs MacGregor
Greencity Wholefoods
I’ve been a member of Greencity Wholdefoods in Glasgow for 9 years, working across warehouse, accounts, personnel and kitchen (every army marches on its stomach – especially wholefood warriors!). During that time I was involved for 2 years, with friends in an entrepreneurial attempt to open a co-operative wholefood grocery on the Southside of Glasgow – Golightly and Gently – which eventually ran out of steam, but was a good learning experience.

I’ve been serving on the ECC for four years, and really enjoy the opportunity to look at our movement from a strategic angle , as well as meeting other committed co-operators and sharing experiences. Unity is strength, and I do believe we have gathered a good team together over the past couple of years.

Continuity has meant we can build ideas that better service worker co-operatives across the UK. Due to our 2 seats on the Board of Co-operativesUK, we have a bit of leverage, punching above our weight in fact. I would like to see increased membership as well as a more active member participation of the worker co-operative movement as a whole – which would feed into the ECC, and make elections such as these, a very lively affair! I would like to stand again, as I feel I’m just growing into my role.

It takes time – Hebrideans always move more slowly…

Nik Gorecki
Netuxo Ltd

Throughout my working life I have been employed in a range of co-operative and non-hierarchical workplaces, including having started up a not-for-profit music event co-op from scratch.

As well as having a good understanding of the problems and practicalities faced by worker co-operatives, I am also interested in co-operatives theory and history. In 2006 I completed a Sociology Master, writing my final dissertation about the efficacy or worker co-operatives in London.

At present I am coordinator of Netuxo, an IT Co-op providing support and development work to fellow ethically-sound businesses and organisations.

My key objective as a prospective council member would be to develop ways in which to increase co-operation between co-operators (Principle 6). My colleagues at Netuxo and I are currently investigating ways in which Internet based technology might be harnessed to increase such inter-co-op cooperatives, and I look forward to being able to share these efforts with the co-operative movement.

Ed Russell
Co-operative Web Limited

I have been working within the Co-operative sector for a relatively short time, the last 5 years: two of those within consumer co-op Midcounties (formerly (OSG) and for the last 3 I have been running the worker co-op, co-operative Web. I have been working in the IT sector for the past 11 years, am 32 years old and like things a little geeky.

Co-operative Web is a growing co-operative focused on delivering IT solutions to customers from a wide range of backgrounds. We currently have 10 members and are recruiting more.

My main strength is an understanding and use of technology, from websites and applications to blogs and twitter with everything between. There is a huge potential for co-ops to use these technologies to connect with their membership and I am passionate about exploring what can be done and using these to further the knowledge and involvement of people within the co-operative movement.

Dan Harris
Oxford Cycle Workshop Limited

I left university in 2001 to join a busy Oxford bike shop. After four years I was given the responsibility of managing a new flagship store at the end of its first year of trading. I was tasked with forging its identity, managing its rapid expansion and re-energising its staff.

I accepted an invitation to move to Oxford Cycle Workshop in January 2007 with the role of refining the company’s business model and supporting its conversion to a worker’s co operative. Tasks focused on developing core areas of the business, including marketing and operation duties like account management and book keeping.

The last two years have provided very hands on understanding of the challenges involved in converting an existing business into a worker’s co-operative in both structure and philosophy. The first hand experience of the pleasures and benefits of doing so has fuelled a passion not only for co-operative business model but also community.

Paul Schwarz
Cycle Training UK Limited
I was born and schooled in South West London and completed a 4 years Degree at St Andrew’s University Scotland before returning to the South of England. Unsure of where to go next I decided against pursuing academia and rejected the idea of turning a long-time freelance writing hobby into a career. I was delighted to discover cycle training in late 2005 joining the worker’s co-operative, Cycle Training UK.

I have embraced the co-operative ideal, devoting much time and energy to the company as a participating member. Recently I have sat on two working parties, one working to improve CTUK’s recently introduced contracts, the other focusing on making the company a better co-operative.

I attended Future Co-operatives 2009 Conference in January, and I’m enthusiastic about CTUK’s future as a co-op and the future of the co-operative movement. I have also recently applied to become a CTUK Director.

Britta Wermer
Unicorn Grocery Limited

I have been working at Unicorn Grocery in Manchester since 2004. Unicorn is a worker co operative selling organic wholefoods. Last year we won 'Best Independent Shop' in the Observer Food Monthly awards and Radio Four food experts named us 'Best Local Food Retailer'.

I am the company's secretary and I am also one of the Personnel staff at Unicorn.
Two years ago, my attention was drawn to the Employee Co-operative Council and I put myself forward for the election in which I was successful.

I feel that coming from a proven and renowned workers co-operative, I am a valuable member of the council. I am ambitious to see many other co-operatives like ours; and at Unicorn, I am helping to produce a toolkit “How to set up a Unicorn”. In April 2009, I will also represent worker co-operatives on the Co-operative & Community Finance board nominated by the ECC.

The deadline to return ballots papers is Friday 29th May.

Employee Co-operative Council Elections

Interested in representing your worker co-operative and influencing Co-operatives UK? Why not nominate yourself for a seat on the Employee Co-operative Council (Representative body for worker co-operatives).

There are 3 places up for grabs this year and we are always interested in new people getting involved. Remember we are a member owned organisation like any other co-operative and we are what you make us.

Main benefits to you and your Co-op

• Provides an insight into the work of Co-operatives UK and an opportunity to directly influence policy and strategic direction.
• An excellent opportunity for your co-operative to raise its profile and network with other co-operatives; sectors and international co-operative movements.
• For the individual, it is great opportunity to increase your knowledge and experience of worker co-operatives and the wider movement.
• Out of pocket expenses and loss of earnings contributions paid by Co-operatives UK.

Election Timeline

• Call for nominations week commencing Monday 9th March 2009
• Closing date for receipt of nominations Monday 20 April 2009
• Ballot Papers issued, Friday 24 April 2009
• Closing date for receipt of Ballot Papers, Friday 9 June 2009
• Election result declared, Monday 1st June 2009

Contact me for more information.