#wsde

Watch the trailer for "Shift Change." (I haven't seen the documentary, but learned a lot just from this 7 minute video).

"At a time when many are disillusioned with big banks and big business, the economic crisis and growing inequality in our country, employee ownership offers a real solution for workers and communities. Shift Change: Putting Democracy to Work is a documentary (released in fall 2012) that highlights worker-owned enterprises in North America and in Mondragon, Spain."

The People’s Record news update: This week in co-operative workplaces February 25, 2013

The North West (a province in South Africa where mostly Tswana people live) is to empower youth through the establishment of cooperatives.

Nineteen youth cooperatives are to be established as part of youth empowerment through entrepreneurial and occupational skills development prioritized by the North West Provincial Government, Premier Thandi Modise announced in her State of the Province Address delivered in Mahikeng on Friday.

Premier Modise announced that 250 youth will participate in National Youth Services for skills development as part of the youth empowerment programme.

Other projects announced by the Premier to benefit young people include sustainable livelihood and entrepreneurship development programmes with financial and non-financial support for job opportunities to be created.

To take forward youth development, representatives of youth around the province will participate in dialogues to be hosted by the province during youth month.

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Blueprint for a co-operative decade

The International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) has recently crafted a plan for the global co-operative movement to advance cooperativism as the alternative development paradigm to address environmental degradation and to put people at the center of development processes. The blueprint outlines a strategic agenda that positions the cooperatives as builders of sustainability.

Why? Well, the ICA and cooperatives worldwide have ‘witnessed the growing social unrest, economic stagnation and the insecurity that future generations face in terms of jobs, essential social services and even just meeting their basic needs.’

Indeed, there is a need for a paradigm shift as it has become imperative to debunk the dominant paradigm that is only successful in sacrificing people and the environment to the altar of greed and profit.

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New study reveals how co-operatives boost the local economy

Research shows that money spent by customers in the Lincolnshire Co-operative increases in value by going to local suppliers, to customers as a dividend and to employees in wages, who in turn spend a proportion of their money locally.

On conservative estimates, using internationally accepted benchmarks, the co-operative generates an additional £40 for the local economy for every £100 spent by a customer.

Overall, this means that Lincolnshire Co-operative, rather than generating profits for outside investors or national or even global suppliers, generates nearly £100m annually for the local economy.

Ed Mayo, secretary general of Co-operatives UK said: "Money spent in a co-operative is sticky money. It stays local, because co-operatives employ local people, are owned by local people and tries to sources from local firms that do the same.

"Every pound spent in a co-operative shop is a real boost to the local economy. In fact, every pound spent in a co-operative store changes hands five times, at diminishing levels, until the final penny leaves the local economy. This adds a wonderful life to any local community."

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Question for Richard Wolff: Are Workers Self-directed Enterprises ends in themselves, goals that, when achieved, will bring about the better society so many seek?

No, a social movement such as Democracy at Work aims for a transition to Worker Self-directed Enterprises (WSDEs) but they are not ends in themselves.

The stress we give to such a transition to WSDEs in our work is driven by the studied neglect of them in by so many who work toward other social goals we agree with heartily.

In other words, for example, we stress transitioning to WSDEs precisely because we think ecological sustainability, a genuine democratic politics, and a far less unequal distribution of wealth, income and cultural access are social goals that would be significantly advanced by an economy based on WSDE's rather than stymied, as they have been, by a system of capitalistically organized enterprises.

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