worker co-operatives and trade unions bob cannell [email protected]
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1.
Business Success
• £35 million sales (2013)• £1 million profit• Leading independent brands (Suma & Ecoleaf)• ROCE > Apple Inc.• Exports to 40 countries• 1000s of customers from supermarket chains to
student food buying co-ops• 37 years of innovation in services and products• Double market rate wages• Two month bonus
Suma www.suma.coop
• Employee buyout 1977 • 100% employee owned and controlled• Multi-skilling and job variety• Equal wage rates for all• Democratic management• Management by consensus• no Managing Director, no Chief Exec, no
Executive management
BFAWU branch Suma 547
1.
The Suma TU story
– How we found our Union
80% of Suma members are Union members
How we work with our Union
We use them for:
• Legal advice
• Terms and Conditions benchmarks
• Mediation and Conciliation
• Defending individual workers
• Workplace education
• Political campaigns
How our union uses Suma
As an example of:
• Good workplace health and safety
• Good employment terms and conditions
• Worker controlled employment
TUs and worker co-ops in the UK
• Historical disagreements from 19th century• Political differences (collective bargaining vs.
worker control)• Resort to worker co-ops if no alternative
(Tower Colliery, Remploy, Wales Co-op Centre)• ‘Unused potential for recruiting TU members in
the private sector’ David Jenkins, Wales TUC• Employee buyouts of private SMEs assisted by
unions and recruitment of worker owners – as in France
Worker Co-operatives in the UK
Like USA • large employee ownership sector
– John Lewis 80,000 partnersnot employee controlled
• small worker cooperative sector- 400 largest 450 members, worker owned and controlled International Cooperative Alliance standards