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Co-op News December 2021

The December edition of Co-op News: connecting, challenging and championing the global co-operative movement. This issue we look at the issues around training, education and the sharing of information between co-ops. There's a look at how UK retail co-ops are using apprenticeships to try to create opportunity in local economies - tying in with politicians' rhetoric about 'levelling up' neglected parts of the country. We speak to the Co-op College's new CEO Neil Calvert and look at how co-ops are among community organisations sharing expertise as they revive Britain's waterways. Plus reports on co-op organising in Preston, Cincinnati and from Stir to Action. We also hear from Co-op Group MND Kate Allum and report on the co-op presence at COP26.

The December edition of Co-op News: connecting, challenging and championing the global co-operative movement. This issue we look at the issues around training, education and the sharing of information between co-ops. There's a look at how UK retail co-ops are using apprenticeships to try to create opportunity in local economies - tying in with politicians' rhetoric about 'levelling up' neglected parts of the country. We speak to the Co-op College's new CEO Neil Calvert and look at how co-ops are among community organisations sharing expertise as they revive Britain's waterways. Plus reports on co-op organising in Preston, Cincinnati and from Stir to Action. We also hear from Co-op Group MND Kate Allum and report on the co-op presence at COP26.

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THIS ISSUE<br />

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:<br />

Christmas wrapping range goes plastic-free<br />

(p8); Guatemala: New service organisation<br />

will help credit unions lend to SMEs<br />

(p15); Power in Numbers - Lessons in<br />

co-<strong>op</strong> organising from Cincinnati (p38-39);<br />

<strong>Co</strong>mmunity waterways - canal mooring co<strong>op</strong><br />

joins the debate (p44-45); Part two of our<br />

co-<strong>op</strong> Christmas gift guide (p46-47)<br />

20·21 MEET ... MATT BLAND<br />

CEO of the <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Credit Union<br />

35 STIR TO ACTION<br />

New Economy Programme continues<br />

24·27 COP26<br />

<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> reactions from the Climate<br />

<strong>Co</strong>nference<br />

24 FAIRTRADE, CO-OPS AND COP26<br />

<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Group's Steve Murrells and Kua pa<br />

Kokoo's Bismark Kpabity join debate<br />

25 CO-OP BANKS<br />

Their role in driving the green transition<br />

36·37 'A GATEWAY TO THE MOVEMENT'<br />

Neil Calvert's goals for the <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> <strong>Co</strong>llege<br />

38-39 POWER IN NUMBERS<br />

Lessons in co-<strong>op</strong> organising from Cincinnati<br />

40·41 CO-OP GROUP MNDS<br />

How member nominated directors help<br />

steer the <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Group<br />

COVER: For co-<strong>op</strong>s to be effective<br />

it's important they share<br />

learning and experience. We look<br />

at co-<strong>op</strong> education and training,<br />

and report from events where<br />

co-<strong>op</strong>s shared best practice<br />

Read more: p28-45<br />

26 IRISH CO·OP SECTOR<br />

Reaction to the government's climate<br />

plan<br />

27 COP26 AGREEMENT<br />

What do co-<strong>op</strong>eratives think?<br />

28-29 LOCALITY CONVENTION<br />

Locality calls for community power to<br />

tackle 21st century crises<br />

30-31 PRACTITIONERS FORUM<br />

Key trends that co-<strong>op</strong>s need to watch out<br />

for, from the event organised by<br />

<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives UK<br />

32·45 LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER<br />

Peer learning and Principle Six<br />

32-34 THE PRESTON MODEL<br />

How Mondragon is helping Preston to<br />

devel<strong>op</strong> a co-<strong>op</strong>erative ecosystem<br />

42·43 TRAINING AND APPRENTICESHIPS<br />

Move on up: co-<strong>op</strong>s enabling social<br />

mobility<br />

44·45 COMMUNITY WATERWAYS<br />

Canal mooring co-<strong>op</strong> joins the debate<br />

46·47 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE: PART 2<br />

Ethical ideas for a co-<strong>op</strong>erative Christmas<br />

REGULARS<br />

5-12 UKNEWS<br />

13-19 GLOBAL NEWS<br />

22 Letters<br />

22-23 Obituaries<br />

48-49 Reviews<br />

50 Events<br />

4 I DECEMBER <strong>2021</strong>


WORKER CO-OPS<br />

Welsh parliament<br />

considers Marcora Law<br />

In November the Welsh Senedd voted<br />

to back an employee ownership bill<br />

that would help workers buy out their<br />

employers' businesses in times of crisis.<br />

Huw Irranca-Davies, Labour and <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erative<br />

MS for Ogmore and chair of the<br />

<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative Senedd Group, introduced a<br />

motion on 20 October to consider a Welsh<br />

'Marcora Law', which would provide the<br />

legal framework, financial support and<br />

advice for workers to buy out all or part of<br />

a business facing closure or downsizing.<br />

The pr<strong>op</strong>osed legislation is inspired by<br />

the Italian Marcora Law, introduced in<br />

1985, which allows workers to invest their<br />

unemployment benefit and severance<br />

pay in recovering the business they had<br />

worked for, and provides support and<br />

advice throughout the process.<br />

The motion received support from the<br />

majority of the Senedd and ministers<br />

agreed to meet with Mr Irranca-Davies<br />

to discuss the pr<strong>op</strong>osed legislation. But<br />

Welsh minister for the economy Vaughan<br />

Gething abstained, saying: "If we were to<br />

introduce legislation in this area, more<br />

detailed discussions would be required to<br />

understand the benefit of doing so."<br />

Mr Gething said he had "an <strong>op</strong>en<br />

mind" about the pr<strong>op</strong>osed legislation,<br />

but cited challenges around the balance<br />

of Westminster's reserved powers and the<br />

Senedd's devolved powers - Westminster<br />

has reserved powers over employment<br />

and trade law.<br />

Mr Irranca-Davies acknowledged<br />

some of these challenges in the debate,<br />

but said that the Welsh government<br />

.&. Huw lrranca-Davies, Labour and <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative MS for Ogmore and chair of the <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative<br />

Senedd Group, introducing a motion on 20 October to consider a Welsh 'Marcora Law'<br />

has "levers that could prise <strong>op</strong>en a<br />

Welsh Marcora law within our devolved<br />

competencies," including powers over<br />

economic devel<strong>op</strong>ment, the Welsh<br />

Economic <strong>Co</strong>ntract, social partnership<br />

and procurement, as well as influence<br />

over companies in receipt of significant<br />

Welsh government funding.<br />

The Welsh government currently<br />

provides support for businesses around<br />

employee ownership through its Social<br />

Business Wales programme, delivered<br />

by the Wales <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative Centre<br />

(WCC), which has advised over 50 Welsh<br />

companies on ownership transition.<br />

The wee described the debate in the<br />

Senedd, and wider discussions about<br />

co-<strong>op</strong>eratives and employee-owned<br />

businesses, as "very encouraging". Rhodri<br />

Packman from the wee told <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative<br />

<strong>News</strong>: "While we do not have a formal<br />

Marcora arrangement, the new Welsh<br />

government's programme for government<br />

has committed to doubling the number<br />

of employee-owned businesses over<br />

the next Senedd term. We welcome<br />

this commitment, as the advantages of<br />

greater employee ownership of firms are<br />

proven, for the businesses, the workers<br />

themselves, and the communities they are<br />

rooted in."<br />

A similar pr<strong>op</strong>osal for a Marcora-style<br />

law was put forward in UK parliament<br />

last month, when Christina Rees, MP for<br />

Neath, led a debate on the potential for a<br />

British Marcora Law.<br />

Speaking at a <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative Party<br />

online event on 25 October, Ms Rees<br />

said that while the pr<strong>op</strong>osal had not<br />

garnered much of a response from the<br />

<strong>Co</strong>nservative government, it had resulted<br />

in a meeting with shadow secretary of<br />

state for business, energy and industrial<br />

strategy Ed Miliband's team to explore the<br />

possibility of putting the Marcora Law into<br />

Labour Party policy.<br />

HISTORY<br />

Book celebrates iconic mural of co-<strong>op</strong>eration<br />

A new booklet celebrates the Three Ships<br />

mural built for the Hull & East Riding <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erative<br />

Society department store, which<br />

later housed a branch of BHS.<br />

When the building was scheduled<br />

for demolition the area, co-<strong>op</strong>erators<br />

and local heritage lovers campaigned to<br />

remove and protect the mural.<br />

Now Esther Johnson, an artist,<br />

filmmaker and professor of film and<br />

media arts at Sheffield Hallam University,<br />

has released a social history of the site,<br />

Ships In The Sky: the <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> <strong>Co</strong>nnection,<br />

which brings together assorted ephemera<br />

and artefacts associated with its time as a<br />

co-<strong>op</strong> store.<br />

To mark the release, S<strong>op</strong>hie McCulloch<br />

from the National <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Archive is sharing<br />

highlights of local co-<strong>op</strong> history on the<br />

shipsinthesky63 Instagram page.<br />

The booklet is available from The<br />

Modernist for £7: bit.ly/313NhpE<br />

DECEMBER <strong>2021</strong> I 7


GLOBAL UPDATES<br />

GLOBAL<br />

Climate report<br />

brings bleak forecast<br />

for Fairtrade farmers<br />

A new study from Fairtrade International<br />

warns that millions of farmers face<br />

financial collapse from climate change.<br />

The most at risk areas identified in<br />

the Fairtrade and Climate Change report<br />

are Africa, Central America and the<br />

Caribbean, South America and south and<br />

south-east Asia.<br />

<strong>Co</strong>mpiled by researchers from the VU<br />

Amsterdam and Bern University of Applied<br />

Sciences and funded by the EU, the study<br />

assesses climate risk to Fairtrade cr<strong>op</strong>s<br />

such as cocoa, sugarcane, tea and cotton.<br />

Soaring temperatures, shifting rainfall<br />

patterns, and rising sea levels all pose a<br />

threat to farm productivity, leaving the<br />

sector looking for ways to avoid cr<strong>op</strong><br />

failure. Climate change also increases the<br />

risk of pests and cr<strong>op</strong> diseases.<br />

But co-<strong>op</strong> membership can help farmers<br />

adapt, says the report. "By increasing and<br />

balancing out their assets, farmers can<br />

become more resilient towards climate<br />

change; in practice, this means increasing<br />

off-farm income, keeping savings and<br />

attending farmer trainings."<br />

Most at risk, says the report, are<br />

Ghana (banana and cocoa), <strong>Co</strong>te d'Ivoire<br />

(sugarcane, tea), Tanzania (tea), <strong>Co</strong>sta Rica<br />

(coffee, sugarcane), Dominican Republic<br />

(banana, cocoa), Honduras (coffee),<br />

Mexico (coffee), Nicaragua (coffee), Brazil<br />

(cocoa, coffee), <strong>Co</strong>lombia (coffee), Peru<br />

(cocoa, coffee), India (coffee, sugarcane,<br />

tea) and Timor-Leste (cocoa, coffee).<br />

A <strong>Co</strong>ffee producer Felicita Castilla working in her field in San Miguel del Faique, Piura, Peru (Photo:<br />

Eduardo Martino for Fairtrade International)<br />

The report says banana producers in<br />

the Caribbean and in Central America<br />

are expected to face less rainfall and<br />

more extreme temperatures while those<br />

in south east Asia and Oceania will see<br />

more cyclones. <strong>Co</strong>ffee producers in Brazil,<br />

Central America and south India are<br />

at threat from temperature spikes and<br />

drought. <strong>Co</strong>coa farmers in the Dominican<br />

Republic, Peru, and West Africa could see<br />

more hot, dry weather, while producers in<br />

eastern Ghana and northern <strong>Co</strong>te d'Ivoire<br />

face heavier rains.<br />

"The results are extremely alarming<br />

and a clarion call for immediate and<br />

comprehensive climate action," warned<br />

Dr Nyagoy Nyong'o, global CEO at<br />

Fairtrade. "The threat to the future of<br />

many supply chains is very real and our<br />

planet's farmers and agricultural workers<br />

are on the frontline of this global climate<br />

crisis. We must do everything to ensure<br />

they are not left behind and that they are<br />

indeed a part of the solution."<br />

Options presented to farmers in the<br />

report include switching to agroforestry<br />

and the diversification of cr<strong>op</strong>s and<br />

livelihoods. Fairtrade can also increase<br />

its portfolio of commodities and support<br />

farmers in becoming more resilient.<br />

The research is based on literature<br />

reviews, spatial hotspot analysis, expert<br />

interviews and a survey of farmer co-<strong>op</strong>s.<br />

► Icmif discusses ethical investment: p14<br />

► COP26 and co-<strong>op</strong>s: p24-27<br />

11<br />

IRELAND<br />

Glanbia dairy co-<strong>op</strong> has made an<br />

agreement to buy the 4Oo/o stake held by<br />

Glanbia plc in their joint venture Glanbia<br />

Ireland DAC, for an estimated €307m<br />

(£262m), subject to contract negotiations<br />

and shareholder approvals.<br />

The plc will contribute €8m related to<br />

pension, re branding and separation costs,<br />

while Glanbia <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>, which is looking<br />

to rebrand after the process is complete,<br />

will fund up to SOo/o of the transaction<br />

Glanbia <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> to buy out joint venture and considers rebrand<br />

through the sale of its shares in Glanbia<br />

plc, with the balance to be funded through<br />

borrowings. It also pr<strong>op</strong>oses to transfer 12<br />

million Glanbia plc shares to its members<br />

- worth an estimated €168m.<br />

<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> chair John Murphy said: "If our<br />

members approve this pr<strong>op</strong>osal, we will<br />

have a very strong co-<strong>op</strong>. We will remain<br />

the largest investor in Glanbia plc, which<br />

is focused on growing as a global nutrition<br />

company."<br />

Industry organisations say members<br />

should carefully consider the pr<strong>op</strong>osals<br />

before approving them.<br />

Irish Farmers' Association president,<br />

Tim Cullinan, said: "This is a complex<br />

financial arrangement that will require<br />

careful scrutiny before members vote on<br />

the pr<strong>op</strong>osals. I would ask that Glanbia<br />

provide every <strong>op</strong>portunity for this plan to<br />

be discussed ahead of the SGM that will<br />

have to take place."<br />

DECEMBER <strong>2021</strong> I 13


- EUROPE<br />

Green finance<br />

and risk management:<br />

ICMIF shares best<br />

practice on climate<br />

<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> and mutual insurers were<br />

represented at a high-level UN panel<br />

discussion on best practices that address<br />

climate action and the challenges made<br />

worse by the pandemic.<br />

The hybrid meeting, Delivering Climate<br />

Action - for Pe<strong>op</strong>le, for Planet & for<br />

Prosperity, was held in October at the UN<br />

headquarters in New York and formed<br />

part of the 76th President of the United<br />

Nations (UN) General Assembly.<br />

The meeting was looking for ways<br />

to bridge the gap between current and<br />

required technical and financial capacities<br />

to achieve the 1.SC target.<br />

Participants included the chair of the<br />

International <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erative and Mutual<br />

Insurance Federation (ICMIF), Hilde<br />

Vernaillen, who described the work of the<br />

mutual and co-<strong>op</strong> insurance sector, which<br />

represents almost 30o/o of the world's<br />

insurance market and US$10tn in assets.<br />

Ms Vernaillen, who also chairs the<br />

management committee of Belgian<br />

insurance co-<strong>op</strong> P&V Group, said:<br />

"Insurance as an industry is uniquely<br />

positioned to make pe<strong>op</strong>le and our planet<br />

more resilient, as it has both the assets<br />

to invest in and, on the other side, the<br />

knowledge of the risks that need to be<br />

mitigated, both at the macro level and at<br />

the community level.<br />

"When it comes to financing and<br />

showing leadership we are really doing<br />

our bit and much of this financing is in the<br />

form of green bonds, social bonds, resilient<br />

bonds, and increasingly this funding is<br />

measured by impact investments."<br />

ICMIF's members are collectively<br />

investing US$570bn in responsible<br />

investments, such as green bonds, social<br />

bonds and resilience bonds, many of<br />

which will focus on climate change.<br />

Ms Vernaillen said the federation's<br />

partnership with the UN Office for Disaster<br />

Risk Reduction (UNDRR) could bring<br />

about "the real systemic change that the<br />

planet needs".<br />

In April <strong>2021</strong> ICMIF and the UNDRR<br />

published a joint report on the role of<br />

.._ Hilde Vernaillen, chair of the mutual insurance apex, was among speakers (Photo: ICMIF)<br />

co-<strong>op</strong> and mutual insurance in disaster<br />

risk reduction. The report summarised<br />

seven mechanisms for risk reduction and<br />

resilience. ICMIF is now monitoring and<br />

benchmarking the application of these<br />

mechanisms by its members as they work<br />

to embed the UN's 2015 Sendai Agreement<br />

on disaster risk reduction into their<br />

businesses.<br />

The partnership with the UNDRR,<br />

which started in 2019, is rolling out pilot<br />

initiatives to bring together the investment<br />

and risk parts of mutual insurance<br />

businesses.<br />

As part of this, ICMIF members are<br />

making sustainable investments in<br />

resilient infrastructure projects that need<br />

funding and will reduce risk of, or build<br />

resilience against, climate disasters. Each<br />

stakeholder will be asked to consider their<br />

investments in a different way and to work<br />

in partnership to deliver outcomes.<br />

Ms Vernaillen said the pilot will be<br />

scalable in II countries and could make<br />

communities more resilient.<br />

"We don't leave anybody behind<br />

because mutuals are all about being<br />

inclusive," she added.<br />

The panel also highlighted the<br />

importance of intergenerational dialogues<br />

and public-private partnerships in<br />

tackling the climate crisis.<br />

Sara Maria <strong>Co</strong>gnuck Gonzalez, UNICEF<br />

climate champion, said young pe<strong>op</strong>le<br />

face challenges when trying to secure<br />

financing for green projects, often needing<br />

10 years' work experience in the sector.<br />

Allen Blue, co-founder and vice<br />

president of product management at<br />

Linkedln, called on financial institutions<br />

to look for places where investment in<br />

green financing is low and fill those gaps as<br />

quickly as possible, rather than ad<strong>op</strong>ting<br />

a careful approach and expecting a return<br />

on every investment.<br />

Richard Mattison, president of S&P<br />

Global Sustainablel, and CEO of S&P<br />

Global Trucost, said green finance needs<br />

a clear definition. And he warned that the<br />

impact of investments will vary depending<br />

where in the world the money is spent.<br />

Green financing must also take into<br />

account resilience to existing climate<br />

challenges, as well as the transition to<br />

greener <strong>op</strong>tions, he said.<br />

Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and special<br />

representative of the UN Secretary­<br />

General for Sustainable Energy for All,<br />

and co-chair of UN-Energy, said it is vital<br />

that less devel<strong>op</strong>ed countries are not left<br />

behind when green investments are made.<br />

The UN Framework <strong>Co</strong>nvention on<br />

Climate Change acts as the primary<br />

international and intergovernmental<br />

forum for negotiating the global response<br />

to climate change. The UN General<br />

Assembly also focuses on fostering<br />

political consensus, raising awareness<br />

and giving strategic direction to the UN.<br />

► Reports on COP26: p24-27<br />

14 I DECEMBER <strong>2021</strong>


STIRTO<br />

New Economy Programme continues<br />

ION<br />

By Anca Voinea<br />

► Kate Whittle (t<strong>op</strong>)<br />

and Jo White<br />

Stir to Action is running more worksh<strong>op</strong>s via<br />

its New Economy Programme, a community<br />

business learning and action platform.<br />

Designed to provide capacity-building training<br />

for local communities, democratic businesses,<br />

third sector organisations, and activists, the<br />

programme is now in its fourth edition. This<br />

year, with support from the Power to Change,<br />

Stir to Action is offering 80 free training places<br />

- available to minoritised ethnic communities,<br />

young adults (aged between 18-35) and those<br />

living in areas of deprivation.<br />

Unlike previous editions, this year's<br />

programme is fully women-led; all training<br />

sessions will be run by practitioners in the field.<br />

The New Economy Programme started as an<br />

in-person training programme in 2016/2017 and<br />

ran a number of courses in London, Bristol and<br />

Oxford. A year later it expanded to Bradford and<br />

Newcastle. Once the pandemic, hit all worksh<strong>op</strong>s<br />

went online, which has helped to attract more<br />

participants from a wider geographical area,<br />

including some international attendees.<br />

"We aim to have some in person events<br />

in the future as well," says marketing and<br />

communications director, Abby Gordon­<br />

Farleigh.<br />

A total of 209 participants have registered<br />

for the 15 worksh<strong>op</strong>s so far but Stir to Action<br />

expects the figure to increase to 1,000 by the<br />

end of the programme in June 2022. Worksh<strong>op</strong>s<br />

will explore a range of issues, from sociocracy,<br />

community shares and how to start a worker co<strong>op</strong><br />

to conflict resolution, community ownership,<br />

democratising the high street and forming<br />

successful partnerships.<br />

One of the worksh<strong>op</strong>s will look at supporting<br />

co-<strong>op</strong>eration through HR and will be facilitated<br />

by Pe<strong>op</strong>le Support <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>, a women's sociocratic<br />

worker co-<strong>op</strong>.<br />

"In our experience co-<strong>op</strong>s don't have an HR<br />

function within the organisation," says Ms<br />

Gordon-Farleigh. The worksh<strong>op</strong> will aim to help<br />

co-<strong>op</strong> members and employees understand how<br />

to create an effective HR function that supports<br />

their members and builds a strong co-<strong>op</strong> culture.<br />

In another worksh<strong>op</strong> Jo White from <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erative<br />

Futures will cover some of the key<br />

steps required to set up a worker co-<strong>op</strong>. Kate<br />

Whittle from <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erantics will also to explore<br />

constructive and practical approaches to dealing<br />

with conflict.<br />

Stir to Action has big plans for the future<br />

- it h<strong>op</strong>es to expand its training offer via its<br />

Democratic Training Centre in Devon and<br />

provide longer courses, building on the New<br />

Economy Programme.<br />

"We really do want to focus a lot of our<br />

strategy on training within the sector. Looking at<br />

how we can work together with local authorities<br />

and policy makers for everyone's benefit," said<br />

Ms Gordon-Farleigh.<br />

More details at stirtoaction.com<br />

DECEMBER <strong>2021</strong> I 35


about the movement as a whole. But I think it was<br />

only when I joined First Milk, having had a very<br />

commercial career, that I started to understand<br />

some of the differences. The importance of<br />

member engagement and taking members with<br />

you is very different from taking shareholders<br />

with you and is quite taxing and testing when it<br />

comes to communication."<br />

If a private firm has most of its shareholders in<br />

agreement over what they want from the board,<br />

for a co-<strong>op</strong> "your members have got a whole<br />

range of things of what they want from you,"<br />

she says. "Part of what I like about is that you<br />

can put value back to the members rather than<br />

putting value back to the shareholders."<br />

Ms Allum said she had been approached<br />

previously to stand for MND but she was busy<br />

elsewhere in a CEO role.<br />

"This is the first time when it hasn't been so<br />

logistically complicated. I couldn't honestly say<br />

to you that being on a board of a co-<strong>op</strong> was a<br />

lifelong ambition. But I've always had a great<br />

interest in the <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> for all the reasons that<br />

we've said ... it's great that this time when it came<br />

around, I actually could do something about it.<br />

"Looking at it from the inside out, you<br />

suddenly realise the scale of what the <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong><br />

is contributing. We need to find some more<br />

ways to share this because when I've spoken to<br />

pe<strong>op</strong>le, they've been surprised but also deeply<br />

impressed at what we do."<br />

But what is the difference between the work<br />

of an MND and a regular director? "We've all<br />

got a responsibility to the business to make the<br />

right decisions. From that point of view, I don't<br />

think there is a difference," she says. "But I do<br />

feel there is an additional responsibility with the<br />

MNDs to have that engagement."<br />

This includes sessions with the Members'<br />

<strong>Co</strong>uncil where we have explored different<br />

priorities for the business. Work with a smaller<br />

breakout group was useful, helping her "to see<br />

what council members, and therefore members,<br />

thought about the priorities for investment, and<br />

how they would move it forward.<br />

"I was impressed in those discussions in terms<br />

of the depth of thought. Some of those smaller<br />

group interactive sessions were extremely<br />

powerful - particularly when working remotely."<br />

The question now is how to continue that<br />

engagement as the country leaves lockdown,<br />

with more face to face meetings.<br />

"We can't please anybody but I think it<br />

really informs our decision making if we can<br />

understand why some members feel strongly<br />

about some things and why other pe<strong>op</strong>le feel<br />

strongly about other things," says Ms Allum.<br />

"While all the directors do engage with the<br />

members, and they all engage with the <strong>Co</strong>uncil,<br />

for a member nominated director, there is a<br />

responsibility to engage a little bit more than the<br />

other directors might and to feed that into the<br />

board discussions."<br />

Her time on the board has left Ms Allum proud<br />

of the Group. "In our village the <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> is part of<br />

the social centre. I am very proud of the fact that I<br />

am part of that, and part of all the initiatives that<br />

we've got going. We're constantly contributing<br />

and constantly looking at ways to do it better.<br />

11ITWAS VERY DIFFERENT<br />

GOING FROM ONE OF THE<br />

BIGGEST MULTINATIONALS<br />

IN THE WORLD TO A BRITISH<br />

DAIRY FARMER CO-OP"<br />

"One of the most positive things about the<br />

<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> is that it's multiple issues, multiple<br />

contributions. Some of those are big issues like<br />

social mobility, but again, in our little village,<br />

community causes have made a huge difference."<br />

These causes can be important to local<br />

identity, she says - including her village's<br />

pipe band, which is p<strong>op</strong>ular with tourists and<br />

promotes inclusion, with its members ranging in<br />

age from 10 to 70.<br />

To do this work, MNDs need the right skills,<br />

says Ms Allum. "We will benefit nobody if<br />

we're not a successful business, so from a<br />

board perspective, it is really important that we<br />

have the right skills to make sure we drive the<br />

business in the right direction. But it's really<br />

important that the board relationships work very<br />

effectively, so you've got a board that is actually<br />

talking, listening, engaging."<br />

The leadership style to get this right is<br />

different from that needed by a private company,<br />

she adds, because the structure is different. "It<br />

is important that we do engage and listen to the<br />

members. We need a good diverse board with<br />

different perspectives, looking at things through<br />

different lenses. And they must appreciate the<br />

fact that our colleagues are important. Our<br />

members are important. Our customers are<br />

important. Our suppliers are important."<br />

Applications are now <strong>op</strong>en for MND<br />

nominations, with two positions up for election.<br />

More details at co-<strong>op</strong>erative.co<strong>op</strong>/mndelection<br />

DECEMBER <strong>2021</strong> I 41


<strong>2021</strong><br />

Christntas<br />

giftguide<br />

£10<br />

The <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> <strong>News</strong> <strong>2021</strong> Christmas Gift Guide is back with more gifts<br />

under £5 and £10, as well as our t<strong>op</strong> picks for subscription gifts,<br />

all from co-<strong>op</strong>s and ethical businesses.<br />

Vegetable sowing guide mug.<br />

£9.95 ethicalsh<strong>op</strong>.org<br />

<strong>Co</strong>conut thumb piano. £7.95<br />

ethicalsh<strong>op</strong>.org Willsow plan table children's books. £9.99<br />

willsow.com<br />

◄ Recycled notebook from<br />

Malawian women's co-<strong>op</strong><br />

Pamette. £9, reduced<br />

from£10.50<br />

cycleofgood.com<br />

► Chocolate espresso body<br />

butter bar. £7.95<br />

wearthlondon.com<br />

HANDMADE SOAP<br />

COCONUT MILK<br />

& YLANG YLANC<br />

,:.t <br />

°"1,<br />

◄ Alter/Native soap, shampoo<br />

and conditioner bars from Suma<br />

<strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erative £3.50-£4.95<br />

adamandeco.com<br />

► Tony's chocolonely christmas<br />

bars£3.98<br />

tonyschocolonely.com<br />

► Mulled wine and cider<br />

spice kit £3.70<br />

wearthlondon.com<br />

► Recycled brass chime<br />

christmas tree £4.99<br />

ethicalsh<strong>op</strong>.org<br />

46 I DECEMBER <strong>2021</strong>


And for the gift that keeps on giving, check out the following subscriptions ....<br />

Boundary<br />

Boundary is a Belfast-based<br />

co-<strong>op</strong>erative brewery with over<br />

1,400 members. They offer a<br />

selection of beer subscriptions<br />

ranging from £35 to £40 per<br />

month. Members of the co-<strong>op</strong><br />

receive a discount, as well as<br />

being able to run and vote for<br />

Boundary's board of directors.<br />

boundarybrewing.co<strong>op</strong><br />

Ocfot<br />

Edinburgh micro chocolate factory Ocelot produces<br />

artisan chocolate bars in beautifully designed and fully<br />

compostable wrappers. They work with bean-to-bar<br />

suppliers who pay more than the minimum Fairtrade<br />

standard to farmers.<br />

Ocelot also make a<br />

bar called Femme,<br />

made from rare<br />

Amelonado cocoa<br />

beans grown by the<br />

world's first female<br />

cacao co-<strong>op</strong>erative.<br />

Ocelot's chocolate<br />

subscription is<br />

£22 per month.<br />

oce/otchocolate.com<br />

Spic Kitchn UK<br />

Spice Kitchen UK is an award-winning<br />

venture run by a mother and son team<br />

who offer a range of spice subscription<br />

services. Their Avid Adventurer<br />

subscription is £40 for three months'<br />

worth of spices from India, Africa and<br />

the Middle East, or around the world.<br />

spicekitchenuk.com<br />

zedbees<br />

Manchester-based Zed Bees is a family run business on a mission<br />

to deliver low waste, sustainable toiletries to customers. They aim<br />

to help more pe<strong>op</strong>le make the switch from plastic based products<br />

in a hassle free and affordable way through their online sh<strong>op</strong><br />

and subscription service. Their Eco-friendly bathroom essentials<br />

subscription is £10 per month and contains organic soaps,<br />

shampoo bars and toothpaste tablets.<br />

zedbees.com<br />

<strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>Nws<br />

And of course we couldn't forget to mention<br />

our very own magazine subscription!<br />

For £5 per month, you can gift a loved one<br />

a monthly c<strong>op</strong>y of our magazine so they<br />

can stay up to date on the co-<strong>op</strong>erative<br />

movement around the world.<br />

thenews.co<strong>op</strong>


C:0 REVIEWS<br />

Snapshots from the 1980s and the<br />

idealism of its worker co-<strong>op</strong>s<br />

English Worker <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>e,-allve<br />

Movement 1980s<br />

English Worker<br />

<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative<br />

Movement 1980s,<br />

(Cafe Royal Books,<br />

£6.50. Order on line<br />

from caferoyalbooks.<br />

com)<br />

Ah, the 1980s! The time when, even despite<br />

Thatcher, there still seemed plenty of h<strong>op</strong>e on<br />

the left and plenty of sc<strong>op</strong>e for building a new<br />

and better world.<br />

The upsurge of worker co-<strong>op</strong>eratives in<br />

the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s brought in a new<br />

generation of activists to the co-<strong>op</strong>erative<br />

movement, and the network of local co<strong>op</strong>erative<br />

devel<strong>op</strong>ment agencies (many, but not<br />

all, unfortunately relatively short-lived) offered<br />

a framework for that growth. The experience of<br />

those heady days has influenced many pe<strong>op</strong>le's<br />

subsequent political and personal lives.<br />

And now Martin Stott, himself one of those<br />

activists, has collected together a small booklet<br />

of photographs of the workers' co-<strong>op</strong>erative<br />

movement from that time.<br />

English Worker <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative Movement 1980s<br />

offers over 20 photos which will provide an<br />

instant nostalgia-fest for co-<strong>op</strong>erative babyboomers,<br />

and might well also fascinate the<br />

younger generation of co-<strong>op</strong>erators active today.<br />

(Those clothes! That hair!)<br />

Martin's selection includes photos of a very<br />

early Suma, of the editorial conference at The<br />

Leveller magazine, of the <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Fair held at the<br />

Beechwood Centre in Leeds, of co-<strong>op</strong> printers<br />

Lithosphere, of East End <strong>News</strong>, and of several<br />

other worker-run businesses.<br />

This is important history, and fortunately<br />

(thanks to the recent Workers' <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Archive<br />

Project, run by the National <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative<br />

Archive), key records, artefacts and oral<br />

testimonies from that time are now safely in the<br />

Archive in Manchester.<br />

If Martin Stott's booklet makes you long for<br />

more, the Flickr page linked to the <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Heritage<br />

Trust offers an even bigger treasure-trove.<br />

..r<br />

.,,•• <br />

f<br />

48 I DECEMBER <strong>2021</strong>


The <strong>Co</strong>vid-19 crisis had led to the<br />

postponement of many co-<strong>op</strong>erative<br />

events. However, a number of<br />

co-<strong>op</strong>eratives and apex bodies<br />

are holding on line webinars and<br />

meetings.<br />

We listed some of these below.<br />

If you would like to add any<br />

postponements - or let us know<br />

of any virtual events taking place<br />

instead, please email<br />

events@thenews.co<strong>op</strong><br />

ICA <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erative Research <strong>Co</strong>nference and<br />

3rd International Forum on <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erative<br />

Law<br />

28-30 November <strong>2021</strong><br />

(Hybrid event: on line and in-person)<br />

The ICA is organising two preparatory<br />

research-based events within the framework<br />

of the World <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erative <strong>Co</strong>ngress - the ICA<br />

<strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erative Research <strong>Co</strong>nference and the<br />

3rd International Forum on <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erative<br />

Law. Both events will be organised<br />

physically in the Grand Walkerhill Hotel as<br />

well as virtually through the <strong>Co</strong>ngress online<br />

platform. A total of 180 research papers from<br />

43 countries will be presented at the events,<br />

which will feature 18 special panel sessions,<br />

all dedicated to the <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erative Identity.<br />

c-:::> bit.ly/316/AmX<br />

World <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erative <strong>Co</strong>ngress<br />

1-3 <strong>December</strong> <strong>2021</strong><br />

(Hybrid event: online and in-person)<br />

The 33rd World <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erative <strong>Co</strong>ngress<br />

will enable the co<strong>op</strong>erative movement<br />

to explore its identity to build a more<br />

secure future. Using the current global<br />

crisis as a framework, discussions will<br />

aim to deepen the co<strong>op</strong>erative identity<br />

by examining its values, strengthening<br />

its actions, committing to its principles<br />

and living its achievements. This hybrid<br />

event will be held in person in Seoul, the<br />

Republic of Korea and online.<br />

C-:::> icaworldco<strong>op</strong>congress.co<strong>op</strong><br />

<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> <strong>Co</strong>nnections: Rose Marley<br />

8 <strong>December</strong> <strong>2021</strong>, 3.30-4.30pm<br />

(Online event)<br />

Organised by <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives UK, <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong><br />

<strong>Co</strong>nnections is a series of events that<br />

enables co-<strong>op</strong>s to connect, learn and<br />

discuss t<strong>op</strong>ical themes. In this session,<br />

<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives UK CEO Rose Marley will<br />

share her observations after speaking to<br />

a myriad of societies and co-<strong>op</strong>s at her<br />

monthly surgery sessions, meetings and<br />

visits - and will explore key challenges<br />

and share her vision for co-<strong>op</strong>eratives in<br />

2022.<br />

C-:::> bit.ly/3E00iyl<br />

Selgars Mill Open Day<br />

10 <strong>December</strong> <strong>2021</strong><br />

(In-person event)<br />

Stir to Action are <strong>op</strong>ening an eco venue<br />

and training centre for the democratic<br />

economy, the climate emergency, and<br />

social change in Mid Devon. The new<br />

venue will be supporting communities<br />

to create new responses to a range of<br />

creative, cultural and environmental<br />

issues as well as offering a special space<br />

to connect, rest and recharge.<br />

c-:::> bit.ly/3FQvNM4<br />

Decent Work and Democracy<br />

20-21 May 2022<br />

(In-person, Wortley Hall, Nr. Sheffield)<br />

A conference on union co-<strong>op</strong>s, with<br />

discussions on: What can union activists<br />

do to fight for decent work and democracy?<br />

How can workers get control over our daily<br />

working lives? What can we do to promote<br />

democracy in the workplace? Do we have<br />

to accept the gig economy and precarity?<br />

And more.<br />

C-:::> unionco<strong>op</strong>suk@gmail.com<br />

ICA General Assembly 2022<br />

20 June 2022<br />

Seville, Spain<br />

The event will be hosted by the Spanish<br />

<strong>Co</strong>nfederation of Worker <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>eratives<br />

(COCETA) and include the election of the<br />

ICA Presidency and Board of Directors .<br />

C-:> bit.ly/3DVpypZ<br />

50 I DECEMBER <strong>2021</strong>

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