Co-op News December 2021

THIS ISSUE
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:
Christmas wrapping range goes plastic-free
(p8); Guatemala: New service organisation
will help credit unions lend to SMEs
(p15); Power in Numbers - Lessons in
co-op organising from Cincinnati (p38-39);
Community waterways - canal mooring coop
joins the debate (p44-45); Part two of our
co-op Christmas gift guide (p46-47)
20·21 MEET ... MATT BLAND
CEO of the Co-op Credit Union
35 STIR TO ACTION
New Economy Programme continues
24·27 COP26
Co-op reactions from the Climate
Conference
24 FAIRTRADE, CO-OPS AND COP26
Co-op Group's Steve Murrells and Kua pa
Kokoo's Bismark Kpabity join debate
25 CO-OP BANKS
Their role in driving the green transition
36·37 'A GATEWAY TO THE MOVEMENT'
Neil Calvert's goals for the Co-op College
38-39 POWER IN NUMBERS
Lessons in co-op organising from Cincinnati
40·41 CO-OP GROUP MNDS
How member nominated directors help
steer the Co-op Group
COVER: For co-ops to be effective
it's important they share
learning and experience. We look
at co-op education and training,
and report from events where
co-ops shared best practice
Read more: p28-45
26 IRISH CO·OP SECTOR
Reaction to the government's climate
plan
27 COP26 AGREEMENT
What do co-operatives think?
28-29 LOCALITY CONVENTION
Locality calls for community power to
tackle 21st century crises
30-31 PRACTITIONERS FORUM
Key trends that co-ops need to watch out
for, from the event organised by
Co-operatives UK
32·45 LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER
Peer learning and Principle Six
32-34 THE PRESTON MODEL
How Mondragon is helping Preston to
develop a co-operative ecosystem
42·43 TRAINING AND APPRENTICESHIPS
Move on up: co-ops enabling social
mobility
44·45 COMMUNITY WATERWAYS
Canal mooring co-op joins the debate
46·47 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE: PART 2
Ethical ideas for a co-operative Christmas
REGULARS
5-12 UKNEWS
13-19 GLOBAL NEWS
22 Letters
22-23 Obituaries
48-49 Reviews
50 Events
4 I DECEMBER 2021

WORKER CO-OPS
Welsh parliament
considers Marcora Law
In November the Welsh Senedd voted
to back an employee ownership bill
that would help workers buy out their
employers' businesses in times of crisis.
Huw Irranca-Davies, Labour and Cooperative
MS for Ogmore and chair of the
Co-operative Senedd Group, introduced a
motion on 20 October to consider a Welsh
'Marcora Law', which would provide the
legal framework, financial support and
advice for workers to buy out all or part of
a business facing closure or downsizing.
The proposed legislation is inspired by
the Italian Marcora Law, introduced in
1985, which allows workers to invest their
unemployment benefit and severance
pay in recovering the business they had
worked for, and provides support and
advice throughout the process.
The motion received support from the
majority of the Senedd and ministers
agreed to meet with Mr Irranca-Davies
to discuss the proposed legislation. But
Welsh minister for the economy Vaughan
Gething abstained, saying: "If we were to
introduce legislation in this area, more
detailed discussions would be required to
understand the benefit of doing so."
Mr Gething said he had "an open
mind" about the proposed legislation,
but cited challenges around the balance
of Westminster's reserved powers and the
Senedd's devolved powers - Westminster
has reserved powers over employment
and trade law.
Mr Irranca-Davies acknowledged
some of these challenges in the debate,
but said that the Welsh government
.&. Huw lrranca-Davies, Labour and Co-operative MS for Ogmore and chair of the Co-operative
Senedd Group, introducing a motion on 20 October to consider a Welsh 'Marcora Law'
has "levers that could prise open a
Welsh Marcora law within our devolved
competencies," including powers over
economic development, the Welsh
Economic Contract, social partnership
and procurement, as well as influence
over companies in receipt of significant
Welsh government funding.
The Welsh government currently
provides support for businesses around
employee ownership through its Social
Business Wales programme, delivered
by the Wales Co-operative Centre
(WCC), which has advised over 50 Welsh
companies on ownership transition.
The wee described the debate in the
Senedd, and wider discussions about
co-operatives and employee-owned
businesses, as "very encouraging". Rhodri
Packman from the wee told Co-operative
News: "While we do not have a formal
Marcora arrangement, the new Welsh
government's programme for government
has committed to doubling the number
of employee-owned businesses over
the next Senedd term. We welcome
this commitment, as the advantages of
greater employee ownership of firms are
proven, for the businesses, the workers
themselves, and the communities they are
rooted in."
A similar proposal for a Marcora-style
law was put forward in UK parliament
last month, when Christina Rees, MP for
Neath, led a debate on the potential for a
British Marcora Law.
Speaking at a Co-operative Party
online event on 25 October, Ms Rees
said that while the proposal had not
garnered much of a response from the
Conservative government, it had resulted
in a meeting with shadow secretary of
state for business, energy and industrial
strategy Ed Miliband's team to explore the
possibility of putting the Marcora Law into
Labour Party policy.
HISTORY
Book celebrates iconic mural of co-operation
A new booklet celebrates the Three Ships
mural built for the Hull & East Riding Cooperative
Society department store, which
later housed a branch of BHS.
When the building was scheduled
for demolition the area, co-operators
and local heritage lovers campaigned to
remove and protect the mural.
Now Esther Johnson, an artist,
filmmaker and professor of film and
media arts at Sheffield Hallam University,
has released a social history of the site,
Ships In The Sky: the Co-op Connection,
which brings together assorted ephemera
and artefacts associated with its time as a
co-op store.
To mark the release, Sophie McCulloch
from the National Co-op Archive is sharing
highlights of local co-op history on the
shipsinthesky63 Instagram page.
The booklet is available from The
Modernist for £7: bit.ly/313NhpE
DECEMBER 2021 I 7

GLOBAL UPDATES
GLOBAL
Climate report
brings bleak forecast
for Fairtrade farmers
A new study from Fairtrade International
warns that millions of farmers face
financial collapse from climate change.
The most at risk areas identified in
the Fairtrade and Climate Change report
are Africa, Central America and the
Caribbean, South America and south and
south-east Asia.
Compiled by researchers from the VU
Amsterdam and Bern University of Applied
Sciences and funded by the EU, the study
assesses climate risk to Fairtrade crops
such as cocoa, sugarcane, tea and cotton.
Soaring temperatures, shifting rainfall
patterns, and rising sea levels all pose a
threat to farm productivity, leaving the
sector looking for ways to avoid crop
failure. Climate change also increases the
risk of pests and crop diseases.
But co-op membership can help farmers
adapt, says the report. "By increasing and
balancing out their assets, farmers can
become more resilient towards climate
change; in practice, this means increasing
off-farm income, keeping savings and
attending farmer trainings."
Most at risk, says the report, are
Ghana (banana and cocoa), Cote d'Ivoire
(sugarcane, tea), Tanzania (tea), Costa Rica
(coffee, sugarcane), Dominican Republic
(banana, cocoa), Honduras (coffee),
Mexico (coffee), Nicaragua (coffee), Brazil
(cocoa, coffee), Colombia (coffee), Peru
(cocoa, coffee), India (coffee, sugarcane,
tea) and Timor-Leste (cocoa, coffee).
A Coffee producer Felicita Castilla working in her field in San Miguel del Faique, Piura, Peru (Photo:
Eduardo Martino for Fairtrade International)
The report says banana producers in
the Caribbean and in Central America
are expected to face less rainfall and
more extreme temperatures while those
in south east Asia and Oceania will see
more cyclones. Coffee producers in Brazil,
Central America and south India are
at threat from temperature spikes and
drought. Cocoa farmers in the Dominican
Republic, Peru, and West Africa could see
more hot, dry weather, while producers in
eastern Ghana and northern Cote d'Ivoire
face heavier rains.
"The results are extremely alarming
and a clarion call for immediate and
comprehensive climate action," warned
Dr Nyagoy Nyong'o, global CEO at
Fairtrade. "The threat to the future of
many supply chains is very real and our
planet's farmers and agricultural workers
are on the frontline of this global climate
crisis. We must do everything to ensure
they are not left behind and that they are
indeed a part of the solution."
Options presented to farmers in the
report include switching to agroforestry
and the diversification of crops and
livelihoods. Fairtrade can also increase
its portfolio of commodities and support
farmers in becoming more resilient.
The research is based on literature
reviews, spatial hotspot analysis, expert
interviews and a survey of farmer co-ops.
► Icmif discusses ethical investment: p14
► COP26 and co-ops: p24-27
11
IRELAND
Glanbia dairy co-op has made an
agreement to buy the 4Oo/o stake held by
Glanbia plc in their joint venture Glanbia
Ireland DAC, for an estimated €307m
(£262m), subject to contract negotiations
and shareholder approvals.
The plc will contribute €8m related to
pension, re branding and separation costs,
while Glanbia Co-op, which is looking
to rebrand after the process is complete,
will fund up to SOo/o of the transaction
Glanbia Co-op to buy out joint venture and considers rebrand
through the sale of its shares in Glanbia
plc, with the balance to be funded through
borrowings. It also proposes to transfer 12
million Glanbia plc shares to its members
- worth an estimated €168m.
Co-op chair John Murphy said: "If our
members approve this proposal, we will
have a very strong co-op. We will remain
the largest investor in Glanbia plc, which
is focused on growing as a global nutrition
company."
Industry organisations say members
should carefully consider the proposals
before approving them.
Irish Farmers' Association president,
Tim Cullinan, said: "This is a complex
financial arrangement that will require
careful scrutiny before members vote on
the proposals. I would ask that Glanbia
provide every opportunity for this plan to
be discussed ahead of the SGM that will
have to take place."
DECEMBER 2021 I 13

- EUROPE
Green finance
and risk management:
ICMIF shares best
practice on climate
Co-op and mutual insurers were
represented at a high-level UN panel
discussion on best practices that address
climate action and the challenges made
worse by the pandemic.
The hybrid meeting, Delivering Climate
Action - for People, for Planet & for
Prosperity, was held in October at the UN
headquarters in New York and formed
part of the 76th President of the United
Nations (UN) General Assembly.
The meeting was looking for ways
to bridge the gap between current and
required technical and financial capacities
to achieve the 1.SC target.
Participants included the chair of the
International Cooperative and Mutual
Insurance Federation (ICMIF), Hilde
Vernaillen, who described the work of the
mutual and co-op insurance sector, which
represents almost 30o/o of the world's
insurance market and US$10tn in assets.
Ms Vernaillen, who also chairs the
management committee of Belgian
insurance co-op P&V Group, said:
"Insurance as an industry is uniquely
positioned to make people and our planet
more resilient, as it has both the assets
to invest in and, on the other side, the
knowledge of the risks that need to be
mitigated, both at the macro level and at
the community level.
"When it comes to financing and
showing leadership we are really doing
our bit and much of this financing is in the
form of green bonds, social bonds, resilient
bonds, and increasingly this funding is
measured by impact investments."
ICMIF's members are collectively
investing US$570bn in responsible
investments, such as green bonds, social
bonds and resilience bonds, many of
which will focus on climate change.
Ms Vernaillen said the federation's
partnership with the UN Office for Disaster
Risk Reduction (UNDRR) could bring
about "the real systemic change that the
planet needs".
In April 2021 ICMIF and the UNDRR
published a joint report on the role of
.._ Hilde Vernaillen, chair of the mutual insurance apex, was among speakers (Photo: ICMIF)
co-op and mutual insurance in disaster
risk reduction. The report summarised
seven mechanisms for risk reduction and
resilience. ICMIF is now monitoring and
benchmarking the application of these
mechanisms by its members as they work
to embed the UN's 2015 Sendai Agreement
on disaster risk reduction into their
businesses.
The partnership with the UNDRR,
which started in 2019, is rolling out pilot
initiatives to bring together the investment
and risk parts of mutual insurance
businesses.
As part of this, ICMIF members are
making sustainable investments in
resilient infrastructure projects that need
funding and will reduce risk of, or build
resilience against, climate disasters. Each
stakeholder will be asked to consider their
investments in a different way and to work
in partnership to deliver outcomes.
Ms Vernaillen said the pilot will be
scalable in II countries and could make
communities more resilient.
"We don't leave anybody behind
because mutuals are all about being
inclusive," she added.
The panel also highlighted the
importance of intergenerational dialogues
and public-private partnerships in
tackling the climate crisis.
Sara Maria Cognuck Gonzalez, UNICEF
climate champion, said young people
face challenges when trying to secure
financing for green projects, often needing
10 years' work experience in the sector.
Allen Blue, co-founder and vice
president of product management at
Linkedln, called on financial institutions
to look for places where investment in
green financing is low and fill those gaps as
quickly as possible, rather than adopting
a careful approach and expecting a return
on every investment.
Richard Mattison, president of S&P
Global Sustainablel, and CEO of S&P
Global Trucost, said green finance needs
a clear definition. And he warned that the
impact of investments will vary depending
where in the world the money is spent.
Green financing must also take into
account resilience to existing climate
challenges, as well as the transition to
greener options, he said.
Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and special
representative of the UN Secretary­
General for Sustainable Energy for All,
and co-chair of UN-Energy, said it is vital
that less developed countries are not left
behind when green investments are made.
The UN Framework Convention on
Climate Change acts as the primary
international and intergovernmental
forum for negotiating the global response
to climate change. The UN General
Assembly also focuses on fostering
political consensus, raising awareness
and giving strategic direction to the UN.
► Reports on COP26: p24-27
14 I DECEMBER 2021

STIRTO
New Economy Programme continues
ION
By Anca Voinea
► Kate Whittle (top)
and Jo White
Stir to Action is running more workshops via
its New Economy Programme, a community
business learning and action platform.
Designed to provide capacity-building training
for local communities, democratic businesses,
third sector organisations, and activists, the
programme is now in its fourth edition. This
year, with support from the Power to Change,
Stir to Action is offering 80 free training places
- available to minoritised ethnic communities,
young adults (aged between 18-35) and those
living in areas of deprivation.
Unlike previous editions, this year's
programme is fully women-led; all training
sessions will be run by practitioners in the field.
The New Economy Programme started as an
in-person training programme in 2016/2017 and
ran a number of courses in London, Bristol and
Oxford. A year later it expanded to Bradford and
Newcastle. Once the pandemic, hit all workshops
went online, which has helped to attract more
participants from a wider geographical area,
including some international attendees.
"We aim to have some in person events
in the future as well," says marketing and
communications director, Abby Gordon­
Farleigh.
A total of 209 participants have registered
for the 15 workshops so far but Stir to Action
expects the figure to increase to 1,000 by the
end of the programme in June 2022. Workshops
will explore a range of issues, from sociocracy,
community shares and how to start a worker coop
to conflict resolution, community ownership,
democratising the high street and forming
successful partnerships.
One of the workshops will look at supporting
co-operation through HR and will be facilitated
by People Support Co-op, a women's sociocratic
worker co-op.
"In our experience co-ops don't have an HR
function within the organisation," says Ms
Gordon-Farleigh. The workshop will aim to help
co-op members and employees understand how
to create an effective HR function that supports
their members and builds a strong co-op culture.
In another workshop Jo White from Cooperative
Futures will cover some of the key
steps required to set up a worker co-op. Kate
Whittle from Cooperantics will also to explore
constructive and practical approaches to dealing
with conflict.
Stir to Action has big plans for the future
- it hopes to expand its training offer via its
Democratic Training Centre in Devon and
provide longer courses, building on the New
Economy Programme.
"We really do want to focus a lot of our
strategy on training within the sector. Looking at
how we can work together with local authorities
and policy makers for everyone's benefit," said
Ms Gordon-Farleigh.
More details at stirtoaction.com
DECEMBER 2021 I 35

about the movement as a whole. But I think it was
only when I joined First Milk, having had a very
commercial career, that I started to understand
some of the differences. The importance of
member engagement and taking members with
you is very different from taking shareholders
with you and is quite taxing and testing when it
comes to communication."
If a private firm has most of its shareholders in
agreement over what they want from the board,
for a co-op "your members have got a whole
range of things of what they want from you,"
she says. "Part of what I like about is that you
can put value back to the members rather than
putting value back to the shareholders."
Ms Allum said she had been approached
previously to stand for MND but she was busy
elsewhere in a CEO role.
"This is the first time when it hasn't been so
logistically complicated. I couldn't honestly say
to you that being on a board of a co-op was a
lifelong ambition. But I've always had a great
interest in the Co-op for all the reasons that
we've said ... it's great that this time when it came
around, I actually could do something about it.
"Looking at it from the inside out, you
suddenly realise the scale of what the Co-op
is contributing. We need to find some more
ways to share this because when I've spoken to
people, they've been surprised but also deeply
impressed at what we do."
But what is the difference between the work
of an MND and a regular director? "We've all
got a responsibility to the business to make the
right decisions. From that point of view, I don't
think there is a difference," she says. "But I do
feel there is an additional responsibility with the
MNDs to have that engagement."
This includes sessions with the Members'
Council where we have explored different
priorities for the business. Work with a smaller
breakout group was useful, helping her "to see
what council members, and therefore members,
thought about the priorities for investment, and
how they would move it forward.
"I was impressed in those discussions in terms
of the depth of thought. Some of those smaller
group interactive sessions were extremely
powerful - particularly when working remotely."
The question now is how to continue that
engagement as the country leaves lockdown,
with more face to face meetings.
"We can't please anybody but I think it
really informs our decision making if we can
understand why some members feel strongly
about some things and why other people feel
strongly about other things," says Ms Allum.
"While all the directors do engage with the
members, and they all engage with the Council,
for a member nominated director, there is a
responsibility to engage a little bit more than the
other directors might and to feed that into the
board discussions."
Her time on the board has left Ms Allum proud
of the Group. "In our village the Co-op is part of
the social centre. I am very proud of the fact that I
am part of that, and part of all the initiatives that
we've got going. We're constantly contributing
and constantly looking at ways to do it better.
11ITWAS VERY DIFFERENT
GOING FROM ONE OF THE
BIGGEST MULTINATIONALS
IN THE WORLD TO A BRITISH
DAIRY FARMER CO-OP"
"One of the most positive things about the
Co-op is that it's multiple issues, multiple
contributions. Some of those are big issues like
social mobility, but again, in our little village,
community causes have made a huge difference."
These causes can be important to local
identity, she says - including her village's
pipe band, which is popular with tourists and
promotes inclusion, with its members ranging in
age from 10 to 70.
To do this work, MNDs need the right skills,
says Ms Allum. "We will benefit nobody if
we're not a successful business, so from a
board perspective, it is really important that we
have the right skills to make sure we drive the
business in the right direction. But it's really
important that the board relationships work very
effectively, so you've got a board that is actually
talking, listening, engaging."
The leadership style to get this right is
different from that needed by a private company,
she adds, because the structure is different. "It
is important that we do engage and listen to the
members. We need a good diverse board with
different perspectives, looking at things through
different lenses. And they must appreciate the
fact that our colleagues are important. Our
members are important. Our customers are
important. Our suppliers are important."
Applications are now open for MND
nominations, with two positions up for election.
More details at co-operative.coop/mndelection
DECEMBER 2021 I 41

2021
Christntas
giftguide
£10
The Co-op News 2021 Christmas Gift Guide is back with more gifts
under £5 and £10, as well as our top picks for subscription gifts,
all from co-ops and ethical businesses.
Vegetable sowing guide mug.
£9.95 ethicalshop.org
Coconut thumb piano. £7.95
ethicalshop.org Willsow plan table children's books. £9.99
willsow.com
◄ Recycled notebook from
Malawian women's co-op
Pamette. £9, reduced
from£10.50
cycleofgood.com
► Chocolate espresso body
butter bar. £7.95
wearthlondon.com
HANDMADE SOAP
COCONUT MILK
& YLANG YLANC
,:.t
°"1,
◄ Alter/Native soap, shampoo
and conditioner bars from Suma
Cooperative £3.50-£4.95
adamandeco.com
► Tony's chocolonely christmas
bars£3.98
tonyschocolonely.com
► Mulled wine and cider
spice kit £3.70
wearthlondon.com
► Recycled brass chime
christmas tree £4.99
ethicalshop.org
46 I DECEMBER 2021

And for the gift that keeps on giving, check out the following subscriptions ....
Boundary
Boundary is a Belfast-based
co-operative brewery with over
1,400 members. They offer a
selection of beer subscriptions
ranging from £35 to £40 per
month. Members of the co-op
receive a discount, as well as
being able to run and vote for
Boundary's board of directors.
boundarybrewing.coop
Ocfot
Edinburgh micro chocolate factory Ocelot produces
artisan chocolate bars in beautifully designed and fully
compostable wrappers. They work with bean-to-bar
suppliers who pay more than the minimum Fairtrade
standard to farmers.
Ocelot also make a
bar called Femme,
made from rare
Amelonado cocoa
beans grown by the
world's first female
cacao co-operative.
Ocelot's chocolate
subscription is
£22 per month.
oce/otchocolate.com
Spic Kitchn UK
Spice Kitchen UK is an award-winning
venture run by a mother and son team
who offer a range of spice subscription
services. Their Avid Adventurer
subscription is £40 for three months'
worth of spices from India, Africa and
the Middle East, or around the world.
spicekitchenuk.com
zedbees
Manchester-based Zed Bees is a family run business on a mission
to deliver low waste, sustainable toiletries to customers. They aim
to help more people make the switch from plastic based products
in a hassle free and affordable way through their online shop
and subscription service. Their Eco-friendly bathroom essentials
subscription is £10 per month and contains organic soaps,
shampoo bars and toothpaste tablets.
zedbees.com
CoopNws
And of course we couldn't forget to mention
our very own magazine subscription!
For £5 per month, you can gift a loved one
a monthly copy of our magazine so they
can stay up to date on the co-operative
movement around the world.
thenews.coop

C:0 REVIEWS
Snapshots from the 1980s and the
idealism of its worker co-ops
English Worker Co-ope,-allve
Movement 1980s
English Worker
Co-operative
Movement 1980s,
(Cafe Royal Books,
£6.50. Order on line
from caferoyalbooks.
com)
Ah, the 1980s! The time when, even despite
Thatcher, there still seemed plenty of hope on
the left and plenty of scope for building a new
and better world.
The upsurge of worker co-operatives in
the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s brought in a new
generation of activists to the co-operative
movement, and the network of local cooperative
development agencies (many, but not
all, unfortunately relatively short-lived) offered
a framework for that growth. The experience of
those heady days has influenced many people's
subsequent political and personal lives.
And now Martin Stott, himself one of those
activists, has collected together a small booklet
of photographs of the workers' co-operative
movement from that time.
English Worker Co-operative Movement 1980s
offers over 20 photos which will provide an
instant nostalgia-fest for co-operative babyboomers,
and might well also fascinate the
younger generation of co-operators active today.
(Those clothes! That hair!)
Martin's selection includes photos of a very
early Suma, of the editorial conference at The
Leveller magazine, of the Co-op Fair held at the
Beechwood Centre in Leeds, of co-op printers
Lithosphere, of East End News, and of several
other worker-run businesses.
This is important history, and fortunately
(thanks to the recent Workers' Co-op Archive
Project, run by the National Co-operative
Archive), key records, artefacts and oral
testimonies from that time are now safely in the
Archive in Manchester.
If Martin Stott's booklet makes you long for
more, the Flickr page linked to the Co-op Heritage
Trust offers an even bigger treasure-trove.
..r
.,,••
f
48 I DECEMBER 2021

The Covid-19 crisis had led to the
postponement of many co-operative
events. However, a number of
co-operatives and apex bodies
are holding on line webinars and
meetings.
We listed some of these below.
If you would like to add any
postponements - or let us know
of any virtual events taking place
instead, please email
events@thenews.coop
ICA Cooperative Research Conference and
3rd International Forum on Cooperative
Law
28-30 November 2021
(Hybrid event: on line and in-person)
The ICA is organising two preparatory
research-based events within the framework
of the World Cooperative Congress - the ICA
Cooperative Research Conference and the
3rd International Forum on Cooperative
Law. Both events will be organised
physically in the Grand Walkerhill Hotel as
well as virtually through the Congress online
platform. A total of 180 research papers from
43 countries will be presented at the events,
which will feature 18 special panel sessions,
all dedicated to the Cooperative Identity.
c-:::> bit.ly/316/AmX
World Cooperative Congress
1-3 December 2021
(Hybrid event: online and in-person)
The 33rd World Cooperative Congress
will enable the cooperative movement
to explore its identity to build a more
secure future. Using the current global
crisis as a framework, discussions will
aim to deepen the cooperative identity
by examining its values, strengthening
its actions, committing to its principles
and living its achievements. This hybrid
event will be held in person in Seoul, the
Republic of Korea and online.
C-:::> icaworldcoopcongress.coop
Co-op Connections: Rose Marley
8 December 2021, 3.30-4.30pm
(Online event)
Organised by Co-operatives UK, Co-op
Connections is a series of events that
enables co-ops to connect, learn and
discuss topical themes. In this session,
Co-operatives UK CEO Rose Marley will
share her observations after speaking to
a myriad of societies and co-ops at her
monthly surgery sessions, meetings and
visits - and will explore key challenges
and share her vision for co-operatives in
2022.
C-:::> bit.ly/3E00iyl
Selgars Mill Open Day
10 December 2021
(In-person event)
Stir to Action are opening an eco venue
and training centre for the democratic
economy, the climate emergency, and
social change in Mid Devon. The new
venue will be supporting communities
to create new responses to a range of
creative, cultural and environmental
issues as well as offering a special space
to connect, rest and recharge.
c-:::> bit.ly/3FQvNM4
Decent Work and Democracy
20-21 May 2022
(In-person, Wortley Hall, Nr. Sheffield)
A conference on union co-ops, with
discussions on: What can union activists
do to fight for decent work and democracy?
How can workers get control over our daily
working lives? What can we do to promote
democracy in the workplace? Do we have
to accept the gig economy and precarity?
And more.
C-:::> unioncoopsuk@gmail.com
ICA General Assembly 2022
20 June 2022
Seville, Spain
The event will be hosted by the Spanish
Confederation of Worker Cooperatives
(COCETA) and include the election of the
ICA Presidency and Board of Directors .
C-:> bit.ly/3DVpypZ
50 I DECEMBER 2021