1st Edition
Cooperativism at Work Worker-owned Cooperatives Across the World
The first of its kind, this book shows that enterprises owned and managed by their own staff as cooperatives, estimated to be over 300,000 in the world and to employ over 15 million people, can be economically sustainable in the long term and substantially contribute to community development.
Comprising 26 case studies, the book showcases how by providing membership and control to worker-member-owners and promoting community empowerment, worker-owned cooperatives have built sustainable businesses and fostered democratic decision-making across various sectors and geographies. The analysis emphasizes the importance of education and training, capital accumulation facilitated by supportive regulatory frameworks and inter-cooperative systems (networks, agencies, federations and peer groups), and the role of worker cooperativism in promoting equality, community development, and environmental sustainability. Worker and social cooperatives are well-positioned to address global challenges by promoting sustainable development, equality, and community-centric solutions. Worker cooperativism has shown a strong capacity to innovate socially, but also technologically, including over the past few years, while providing high levels of employment security and welfare.
The book is of great use to practitioners within the cooperative movement, in particular the worker-members of worker and social cooperatives themselves, as well as developers of such cooperatives within the cooperative movement, but also among development NGOs and social movements.
Introduction, by Bruno Roelants, Chapter 1: Worker cooperatives within the wider cooperative movement: importance, evolution and the making of universal standards, by Bruno Roelants, INDIA: Chapter 2: Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society: A Century of Excellence, by Saji Gopinath, KENYA: Chapter 3: Kigro Recyclers Worker Cooperative: bringing workers out of the informal economy, by Pamela Kaburu and Ashley Holst, MOROCCO: Chapter 4: At-Tawafouk Cooperative: the unusual story of a Moroccan worker cooperative for waste collection and processing, by Slimane Lhaji, GREECE: Chapter 5: From workers' struggle to workers' control through a cooperative: the VIOME case in Greece, by Vangelis Vragoteris, FRANCE: Chapter 6: Introduction to the French worker cooperatives (SCOP), by Lynda-May Azibi, Chapter 7: Ethiquable, the path to cooperative fairtrade, by Lynda-May Azibi, Chapter 8: Parcs & Sports, an emblematic worker buyout 40 years ago, today an innovative business, by Lynda-May Azibi, Chapter 9: Quonex Alsatel, an ICT business taken over by its staff, by Lynda-May Azibi, Chapter 10: Ardelaine, a local development cooperative, by Béatrice Barras, SPAIN: Chapter 11: Worker cooperatives in Spain: review of their impressive growth over the last decades, by Paloma Arroyo, Chapter 12: Agresta Cooperative Society: a relentless search for forestry solutions to achieve a more liveable society, applying the Cooperative Principles, by Paloma Arroyo Sanchez, Chapter 13: Gredos San Diego Cooperative Society: education is “the basis for achieving, among us all, a more supportive, innovative society, capable, fair and free”, by Paloma Arroyo Sanchez, Chapter 14: The Mondragon Group, one of the most important examples of entrepreneurial cooperation between cooperatives, by Ander Etxeberria Otadui, ITALY: Chapter 15: Italian social cooperatives, a reality emerging from worker cooperatives, by Giuseppe Guerini, Chapter 16: Cauto Social Cooperative: “do, learn, share”, by Giuseppe Guerini, Chapter 17: GOEL Social Cooperative Consortium: struggling successfully against the Calabrian mafia, by Giuseppe Guerini, Chapter 18: A unique support system for worker buyouts: The Marcora Law and CFI, by Alessandro Viola and Mauro Frangi, UNITED KINGDOM: Chapter 19: The national worker cooperative background in the UK, by Siôn Whellens, Chapter 20: Calvert’s North Star Press Ltd: how a printing workshop was reborn, by Siôn Whellens, SWEDEN: Chapter 21: Vägen Ut! (The Way Out): a “social worker cooperative” for work integration, by Sven Bartilsson, JAPAN: Chapter 22: The worker cooperative movement in Japan, by Osamu Nakano, Chapter 23: Central Worker Cooperative: combining services of general interest and work integration of disadvantaged persons, by Osamu Nakano, Chapter 24: Creators 440Hz: the Democratic Way of Living - From Democratic Education to Democratic Work, by Kageki Asakura, SOUTH KOREA: Chapter 25: Worker cooperatives in South Korea, by Hyungsik Eum, Chapter 26: Happy-Bridge cooperative: Becoming a worker cooperative through institutionalizing and learning, by Seungkwon Jang, CANADA: Chapter 27: Worker Cooperative History and Context in Canada, by Hazel Corcoran, Chapter 28: Pivot: an architectural cooperative engaged in the community, by Adriana Menghi, Suzanne Doucet, Angelica Peraza and Isabel Faubert Mailloux, USA: Chapter 29: Worker Cooperatives in the United States of America, by Jessica Gordon-Nembhard, Chapter 30: Cooperative Home Care Associates: worker cooperative development and unionisation hand in hand, by Sanjay Pinto, Chapter 31: The Arizmendi Association of Cooperatives: a group of bakery worker cooperatives inspired by Mondragon, by Joe Marraffino, BRAZIL: Chapter 32: Uniforja – a story that has been built up for 24 years by workers in a self-management system, by Maurício da Costa and Arildo Mota Lopes, URUGUAY: Chapter 33: “La Diaria” cooperative: Uruguay’s second daily newspaper, by Gabriel Isola, NEW GENERATION COOPERATIVES: Chapter 34: Networks of IT worker cooperatives in Argentina and globally: FACTTIC and PATIO, by Nicolas Dimarco & Lucila Dominguez, Conclusions, by Bruno Roelants
Biography
Bruno Roelants is a consultant on cooperatives and international development. He is the former Director General of the International Cooperative Alliance (April 2018 – February 2023). Previously, he was Secretary General of CICOPA as of 2002 and of its regional organisation CECOP CICOPA-Europe as of 2006.
