“In 2008, the boss decided to close our windows factory on Goose Island and fire everyone. In 2012, we decided to buy the factory for ourselves and fire the boss. We now own the plant together and run it democratically. This is our story.” Something is afoot in the US and I’m wondering what – [...]
Really, really, really interesting article about the United Steel Workers and the Mondragon Co-operative collaborating to create Union Co-ops in the US. “What we have in common is that we are trying to accomplish the same things. Why do unions exist? Who do people try to create cooperatives? At the most basic level, in both [...]
I had no idea how hard it is to create a Society. I don’t mean it’s actually hard, because it’s not. Or expensive. It is possible to register a bona fide Society, with a complete preapproved constitution for £40. The further from this model that your prospective Society moves, the more work (reading & consideration [...]
Today I thought I’d share this blog from Tuesday, November 15, 2011 Mondragon Comes to America by Jeffrey Hollender (former CEO of Seventh Generation) Last week, my recently launched consulting firms –Jeffrey Hollender Partners and CommonWise – hosted the senior leadership team of the Mondragon Cooperative Cooperation for a discussion about the role cooperatives can [...]
Yesterday was budget day. Today is post budget day. The usual heated debate seems to be taking place about who benefits and so on. The Chancellor’s efforts to stimulate the housing market by (as I understand it) underwriting debts seem to be a particular bone of contention. For example, I’m fairly sure a commentator on [...]
This is a guest blog, featuring a new co-operative shares service offered by our colleagues at… The consultancy.coop, a small Co-operative Development Body (CDB) based in south Wales has recently set up a new website aimed at helping new and growing co-ops with their Community Share Issues. Alex Bird, one of the partners in the [...]
I find myself much exercised right now by worker co-ops & how they might be used as a model in the UK to address issues like joblessness and inequality. Worker co-ops currently (according to Co-ops UK’s published stats) amount to a heady 0.6% of the UK co-operative economy, which itself adds up to a whopping [...]
Above you will find a simply splendid (I would say that wouldn’t I?) 3 minute short film that captures I hope the essence of #fc13 Thank you to the Renegade Economist crew (Ross, Megan & Will) for doing that. If you need high quality corporate films made by good people, you can contact them via [...]
So, here we are back at work… if we’re lucky. And meaningful work that means you can pay your bills, if we’re really, really lucky.
So, UK manufacturing is tanking, Eurozone unemployment is already hitting new highs and the long awaited global recovery looks to be under threat too. And today’s news that Germany has downgraded its own growth forecast led me to read this story on the BBC website. Here’s an extract. “The German government may also be minded [...]