union-coops:uk

Co-ops & Unions Campaigning for Decent Work

union-coops:uk

FairFare is 1 and Growing!

Colleagues at Princeton University in the States (The Workers’ Algorithm Observatory) have run a really interesting project (FairFare) to study Uber’s profit take from its drivers.

Over 200 drivers have participated in a tech driven study of the margin Uber takes (steals?) from its drivers and the results (unsurprisingly) show they’re profit gouging. Who knew?

Read their blog post here

https://medium.com/the-workers-algorithm-observatory/fairfare-is-1-and-growing-6e5ae8781477

Post Office Mutual – CWU talks to Govt.

We are pleased to see the CWU and the Govt. have talked again about the possibility of a mutual to take over running the Post Office. This would be a great step forward, but it is important not to fall into the same hole as the “Big Society” so called mutuals Cameron foisted on the nation.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/feb/07/constructive-talks-held-over-transfer-of-post-office-ownership-to-operators 

We will be reaching out to the CWU to offer our support of course.

The law was changed to allow this in 2011, but little has happened since. These talks are a great step forward, especially as Co-operatives UK are also involved.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2011/sep/18/post-office-mutualisation-proposals

WhatsApp Community

We’ve just set up a WhatsApp Community. This will enable our members and supporters to not just get up to date news, but also chat to each other on specific subjects or in specialist groups

Why not join us using the QR Code below?

Why not sign up for website updates as well and get an email every time a new Post or Page is added. Just add your email to the box in the RH Column

Jonny Sopotiuk at the US Union Co-ops Council

Last year, at the June 2023 meeting of the United States Federation of Worker Coops’ (USFWC’s) Union Co-ops Council, Jonny Sopotiuk presented on the Union Cooperative Initiative (UCI), an exciting project out of Vancouver, BC which was founded in 2021.

In this video, Jonny talks about the history of our US partner organisation, the UCI, its co-ops and prospects, their strategies, and how the union co-op model is proving successful. 🌲

Lots more info is available from the US Federation of Worker Co-ops on their website 🌲
Register for their upcoming events
https://www.usworker.coop/calendar/
Sign up for their monthly newsletter
https://www.usworker.coop/subscribe/

Join us at the CECOP Conference on Wednesday

Conference Workers Buyout – what is the cooperative key to success?

08 Nov 2023 Event EaSI / ESF+ programme

CECOP is organising its conference “Workers Buyouts – What is the cooperative key to success?”, the flagship event of its campaign on skills #coopskills2023.

THE EVENT

CECOP is excited to invite you to attend its conference “Workers Buyouts – what is the cooperative key to success?”, as the flagship event of its worker and social cooperatives skills campaign – #coopskills2023.

During the event, we will look at the support system provided by the cooperative movement, the know-how, technical, and human expertise it encompasses to make workers buyouts successful and sustainable in the long term.

When: from 14:30 to 17:00 (CET) | 29 November 2023
Where: 
L42 venue | Brussels (Belgium) | Full programme coming soon

The event will take place in person in the L42 venue , situated at Rue de la Loi 42, Brussels and it will be streamed on Zoom.

Interpretation will be provided in English, Spanish, French, and Italian.  

Register here

 

This campaign has been funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.        

Democracy Audit

We are pleased to announce that one of our members, Martin Strube of Co-operative Solutions is offering to carry out a Democracy Audit for union-coops:uk corporate members free of charge (they would charge only for out of pocket expenses, travel etc.)

The Democracy Audit is a method of assessing the quality of an organisation’s democracy. It is an independent audit by Co-operative Solutions as contracted outside observers intended to “measure” the state of an organisation’s internal democracy.  

Many democratic organisations such as voluntary bodies, trade unions, or co-operative societies may be democratic in the sense that this was always the intention and is still the assumed norm.  However, a scratch at the surface may illustrate that all is not quite as it should be from a democratic perspective.  Organisations often lapse into customs and practice which may save time or appear simpler but in fact slowly diverge from the democratic intent of founders or independent reviewers.  

Assessing democracy – performing a “democracy audit” – is not routinely practised in the UK.  Occasionally organisations may revisit their principles and their constitutions in order to update them in line with current thinking or modern practices, but rarely do they set out to qualitatively assess the extent to which they may or may not be functioning in an objectively observed democratic way.  

If you’re interested in this generous offer, then contact Martin direct: martin(at)solutions.coop

CECOP Conference on worker buy-outs

CECOP’s Conference
“Workers Buyouts – what is the cooperative advantage?”
When: from 14:30 to 15:30 (CET) | 29 November 2023
Where: 
L42 venue | Brussels (Belgium)CECOP is excited to invite you to attend its conference “Workers Buyouts – what is the cooperative key to success?”, as the flagship event of its worker and social cooperatives skills campaign – #coopskills2023.2023 is the European Year of Skills. As an organisation representing cooperatives where workers have a central place, CECOP couldn’t miss this opportunity to bring the workers perspective on the topic.

After all, who has the best skills to decide about the future of their enterprise than those that make it work?

Behind worker and social cooperatives, there are women and men with a multitude of different profiles, ages, qualifications, know-how, and experiences.
On one hand, cooperative skills require going beyond self-interests and engaging with others in participatory and democratic governance, with all the challenges that this implies.

On the other hand, cooperatives provide to their worker-members, from the weakest to the most qualified profiles, more than just a job. They invest in their skills, engage in life-long learning and provide them the possibility to have a say about the future of their enterprise.

During the event, we will look at the support system provided by the cooperative movement, the know-how, technical, and human expertise it encompasses to make workers buyouts successful and sustainable in the long term.

Save the date in your agenda and register already!

The event will take place in person in the L42 venue in Rue de la Loi 42, Brussels and it will be streamed on Zoom.

Coming soon: CECOP’s campaign #coopskills2023 – Stay tuned!

REGISTER HERE
MORE ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN

All About Union Co-ops

Join us online on June 26th and July 3rd at 15.30 for two online training workshops put together by our experienced and knowledgeable trainers, Anita Mangan and Cilla Ross. Each session will last for an hour and a half.

The sessions will be held on Zoom and are free of charge, although we do ask for a donation. When booking please select either free General Admission or Donation tickets, and make sure you book for both sessions as they are different. If you are making a donation then feel free to book a free General Admission ticket for the second session.

In these two sessions we will explore the shared history of the trade union and worker co-operative movements, their joint aims to create Decent Work.

We will also look at the growing movement in the UK and the USA and how it is developing and growing.

We’ll also look at the practicalities of creating and developing union-coops, and share some tools with you.

Book now at:-
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/all-about-union-co-ops-tickets-638180524127