Worker Co-operative Council Elections 2011

Voting is now open for the Worker Co-operative Council Elections! All worker co-operative members of Co-operatives UK were sent Ballot Papers on the 20 April 2011 and should receive this in the next week. This should include a list of nominees, biographical details and a Ballot paper.  These people will represent your views and help guide Co-operatives UK's strategy from the point of view of worker co-operatives.

The closing date for receipt of ballot papers is 27th May 2011 and the Elections result declared 3rd June 2011. The four successfull candidates will be invited to the next Worker Co-operative Council meeting taking place at Congress 2011 why not come and join them.

The nominees are:

Britta Werner - Unicorn GroceryI have been working at Unicorn Grocery, a retail workers co-operative in Manchester, for over 6 years. I am the company’s secretary and also part of the Personnel Team and currently studying for an MSc in Human Resource Management.

I became involved in the Worker Co-op Council 4 years ago and through this I am on the board of Co-operative and Community Finance.

I feel that my knowledge of HR can be helpful to the council as well as my enthusiasm for co-operatives. Unicorn Grocery is a successful co-operative and because of this, I have constant contact with different co-operatives who are getting in touch with us. Therefore I feel I have got good skills and abilities to contribute to the council.  Having served on the council for the last four years has given me a good insight into the co-operative movement from many different aspects.

Edward Russell – Co-operative Web
Hi, I'm Ed and am a geek who is part of the technology focused worker co-op "Co-operative Web" based in Birmingham.  I've been a member of the council for the past two years over which time we've grown Co-op Web quite substantially to now be 21 workers and have experienced a lot of the trials and tests that brings!  I'm also a director of Co-operative Futures and a member of Co-operatives WM. 

I've worked hard to try and bring the message of co-operation to more people through many talks and seminars including the recent series of Co-ops UK events for creative co-operatives.  I'm very passionate about spreading the message and how technology can play a part in this.

I would like to have another term on the council as I feel that I've only just started to understand how to make a difference and feel that I've a lot to contribute about small and growing worker co-ops.

Richard Crook – Essential Trading Co-operative
I have been a member of Essential Trading Co-operative for 10 years, covering a range of responsibilities on my way to my current role in our accounts team and as co-operative treasurer.  My experience of being a member of a worker co-op has convinced me that this is a truly alternative and democratic way to organise a business away from conventional hierarchical structures.  I feel that it is important for worker cooperatives to have representation within Co-operatives UK, to continue to promote the positive aspects they bring to the co-operative movement.

Essential Trading Co-operative is a Natural and Organic Food Wholesaler and Retailer - one of the largest worker co-operatives in the UK with over 80 members.  It was formed through the merger of two co-operatives; Harvest and Nova in 1991. The origins of those co-operatives can be traced back to 1971.

Steven Glynn – Sustainable Change CooperativeI am a partner at Sustainable Change Cooperative which works with organisations to develop a clearer understanding of what sustainability means for them, and take practical action based on this understanding.  See our website, www.sustainable-change.co.uk, for more details on what we do. As a newcomer to the cooperative movement – we have been a cooperative for a year – I have a lot to learn, but also believe I have a lot to offer. I see developing the cooperative movement as critical part of moving towards an economy and society that allows people and the environment to flourish. At the same time it is essential that cooperatives themselves embrace the sustainability agenda and exploring cooperatively how best to do this would be a central aim of mine if elected to the Council.

M J Ray – Turo Technology LLP
MJ is both passionate about and experienced in co-operation. 2012, the UN's year of co-ops, is a great opportunity to spread the co-operative message wider and to build support both between co-ops and with their national body.  MJ is working to equip members with the resources they want, under permissive terms of use, to facilitate their business, campaigning and outreach.  'Dog helps Dog' and 'Co-operation in the Age of Google' are helpful starting points to build upon.

MJ has worked for software.coop since it was formed 9 years ago and served on the Co-operatives SW steering group 2006-2010.  Having also experienced work in public and private sectors, MJ fully appreciates the social, democratic and ethical co-operative difference.  Your support will help MJ achieve his aims of bringing UK members together and taking the worker cooperative message to a wider audience.  Thank you.

Athene Ellana Richford – GreenCity Wholefoods
I came to GreenCity as a recent graduate having always admired and been cognisant of the co-operative movement.  I am passionate about the role that cooperatives, and especially worker coops, can play in demonstrating to our wider societies that it is possible to have truly accountable businesses which, whilst profitable do not compromise their ethics regarding workers and customers.  I strongly believe that cooperatives are representative of humanity at its best; giving workers autonomy over their means of production; providing community and a responsible way of working.  In short, I regard cooperatives as the humanisation of capitalism.  I would relish the opportunity to work with other worker coop members and broaden my knowledge of worker cooperatives and the wider movement.  I hope that such an engagement from me would foster my growth as a worker, an individual and also that of GreenCity.

Co-ops involvement in the Census

I filled in our household census on Sunday; despite Lockheed Martin (a US defence company) involvement.  I nearly put co-operative as my religion, but thought that might be taking things a bit too far...

Why do I mention this? because it's a great example of how you can find co-operatives business involvement in everyday life (most of the time you don't know it).

One of Co-operatives UK's members; recycled paper suppliers PaperBack had secured their largest order in their twenty eight year history.  The workers co-op based in East London won a 700 tonne contract to supply paper for the National Census leaflet which went to every UK household this month.

For those interested in such things, the paper, Maple Gloss, is made entirely from post consumer waste, primarily recycled office paper, and took more than six weeks to deliver!

I've failed to visit PaperBack on any of my visits to London as they are always so busy (business comes first).  They are a pioneering coop set up in 1983 to help the recycling ‘loop’ by promoting greater use of recycled paper. They remain the only UK paper merchant specialising exclusively in recycled papers.

So well done Paperback and if there contiunes to be a census in 2021 lets hope you contiune to provide the recycled paper!

Future Co-ops feedback and does the movement need a Pope?

This week I attended one of my favourite Co-operative events of the year organised by Co-operatives Futures.  This is an event predominately packed with co-operative activities who debate big issues of the time.  This years debate was "Big Society: Are we in or are we out.." You can read their own summary of the event here (not ready yet).

The event's main speakers were Russell Gill, Head of Membership at the Co-operative Group and Dave Boyle CEO of Supporters Direct. Who both gave balanced reasoned arguments discussing the opportunities and threats to the co-operative movements involvement and association with the Big Society. With other delegates contributions here is a summary of main points:

Should be in:

• Every so-often co-operatives become part of the zeitgeist and we should take advantage to promote co-operatives in their current forms when this happens (every 10-20 yrs).
• Be confident in our own language and clear about the aspects of Big Society we want to be involved in and those we should stay well clear of.
• If we involve ourselves early and state our case confidently we can beat our competitors and the more unscrupulous private sectors businesses in the delivery of public sector contracts (that are going to happen whether we are in or out).
• This might actually be a genuine attempt by the Conservatives to reach out to the co-operative movement and find better solutions for meeting peoples needs.
• Co-operatives purpose is to bring people together to meet their needs and we especially thrive in recession or when people face real hardship.  With the cuts taking place that is going to be quite likely.

Should be out:

• The "Big Society" is just a clever rephrase of its opposite "Small State" and we should be wary of being a shield for ideologically driven cuts.
• You can not "empower communities"; power is taken it can't be given to people. the Big Society is a top down approach and like earlier top down approach (Bennite Co-ops, Bus Privatisations) is more likely to fail.
• Co-operatives could be left with the scraps while the more profitable and easier aspects of public services are sold of to investor owned businesses.
• Are we ready, do we have the scale and ability to successfully deliver?

I attended 2 workshops; one on the use/misuse of language, the most interesting comment was the "Big Society" is just a container word and is so tainted we should just not use it.  We (and other communities organisations) have been doing this stuff for years and should be confident in our own language; why do we need to rebrand it ours is a superbrand anyway? 

I also attended a workshop on how to engage with new forms of co-operation and the more radical things going on.  Are the student fee's protesters, #ukuncut and other responses to the Big Society "proto Co-operatives"? If so what can we learn from these new vibrant forms of collaboration and what can they learn from us (we have had years of learning by trial and error, must be something to show for it).

Unfortunately I had to leave before the end so I wasn't about for the final debate. But something tells me there was  no simple "in or out" resolution. 

Like a few other issues that raised their head throughout the weekend (are Community Benefit Societies or John Lewis Partnership co-operatives?). It would be great if the Co-operative Movement had a Pope who could decide on such matters.  But we haven't  "Co-operative" is a social construct and we re-create it with every discussion based on our underlying shared values.

My view from was and remains that the "Big Society" will will come and got like many other phrases and top-down initiatives. Who says "The Third Way" anymore?

Co-operation is an instinctive and natural behaviour for humans. Co-operatives have done their thing for 150 years and they will continue do their thing for the next. If other people want to join us on our journey for a bit that's great and we will enjoy the chit chat, but we won't be expecting them to stay on the same path forever.