ABSTRACT
Worker co-operatives democratise decision-making and the priorities of the organisation. Workers make all the major decisions, and they also allocate the rewards produced by their labours. Exploitation and inequality end, whilst justice and equality prevail. The chapter also describes their formation and operation as well as providing international examples. The Mondragon Co-operative organisation in Spain is the major employer in the Basque region and one of the largest economic entities in the nation. It presents a model of thoughtful insight into the operation of a cluster of worker co-operatives involving tens of thousands of people in a way that ensures that the cultural, political and economic principles of the founders are maintained. The chapter ends with a discussion of the Le Mat co-operative in Sweden that involves workers controlling a number of hotels, bed & breakfasts and guesthouse units. These international examples confirm that worker co-operatives can be successful in boosting economic activity and creating jobs, but they do require cultural and political support. The UK political and cultural scene is dominated by the ideology of neoliberalism, which sees worker co-operatives as an anathema and a philosophical challenge to private capitalism.
