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Forging Bond Will Be Test for Co-ops and Occupy Movement
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Dan Clore
Dec 16, 2011, 2:36:24 PM12/16/11
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News & Views for Anarchists & Activists:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smygo
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=106194
Forging Bond Will Be Test for Co-ops and Occupy Movement
By Fawzia Sheikh
Cooperatives have grown in prominence, in part due to the Occupy
movement, but how closely the two can coordinate remains to be seen.
TORONTO, Dec 12, 2011 (IPS) - Canadian cooperatives may grow as the
global Occupy movement raises the profile of their business model
through boosting interest in credit unions over traditional banks, but
uncertainty remains about the degree to which the two camps will join
forces from here on.
While the cooperative sector understands that the international Occupy
trend illustrates a "huge appetite" for an alternative to the economic
and social status quo, it is unclear to what extent co-op groups will
respond to this swell of emotion, John Restakis, executive director of
the British Columbia Cooperative Association in Vancouver, told IPS.
Co-ops are vocal about representing a different and successful way of
doing business but are more reluctant to declare their identification
with the "quite radical" Occupy movement, Restakis said.
These businesses have thrived because they are risk-averse, conservative
and inclusive – a culture running counter to Occupy sentiments, he
noted. Large co-op groups are more established, have a more diverse
membership and lack the solidarity to take positions on issues.
Their smaller, younger and more activist counterparts, however, would be
interested in forging a connection with Occupy groups because some of
their members are probably part of the international phenomenon, he added.
Virtually every sector of the Canadian economy dots the co-op landscape,
including agriculture, retail, housing and healthcare, and at least 10
million people (out of a population of 34 million) are members of some
form of cooperative, according to the Canadian Cooperative Association
in Ottawa.
As co-ops grapple with how to approach the Occupy wave, one thing is
certain, according to Restakis: There is a need for dialogue between the
two, despite their deep differences, because much can be learned and shared.
Occupy supporters can act as a "new generation of activists and people
that are committed to social, economic justice" and can "re-tell the
co-op story from the perspective of young people", he argued.
This support would be advantageous to the cooperative sector because it
challenges well-entrenched organisations to take a "cold, hard look" at
their values and understand that they are part of a broader movement and
not merely a business model, Restakis said.
Lacking visibility
As Occupy mania shifts more of the world’s attention to co-ops, it will
inevitably shine a light on the flaws of the business paradigm but could
perhaps help resolve them as well.
Recent Canadian Cooperative Association research carried out in Ontario,
as well as decade-old surveys in B.C., indicates that Canadians have low
awareness of co-ops even though they may belong to one such as a credit
union or the well-known Mountain Equipment Co-op, Restakis said.
Weak recognition shows that the co-op model is not effective in
explaining to Canadians that there is another way to conduct business
outside of the public and private spheres, he said.
When co-ops in North America and Europe have made an effort to brand
themselves as a different kind of enterprise, such as the Canadian
insurer, the Co-operators Group and Gay Lea Foods, doing so has
increased their market share and helped them economically, he added.
Canada’s cooperatives are also struggling with demographic hurdles,
Hazel Corcoran, the Calgary, Alberta-based executive director of the
Canadian Worker Co-op Federation, told IPS.
In the coming years, baby boomer owners of small- and medium-sized
businesses will be retiring and there are fears that buyers will be too
few to continue the co-op legacy.
Co-op leaders tend to be older and have not engaged adequately with
youth to address business-succession concerns, added Donna Balkan,
communications manager of the Canadian Co-operative Association.
To this end, the Canadian Worker Co-op Federation is implementing
mechanisms to assist with promotional activities, technical issues and
capital for employees interested in acquiring co-ops, Corcoran said.
One challenge in the Canadian provinces outside of French-speaking
Quebec, where the co-operative movement has extensive roots, is a lack
of support for business succession in co-ops, she added.
As a result, her federation is working with the Canadian Co-operative
Association to put resources like funding and tax legislation into place
to enable workers keen on taking over baby boomers’ businesses.
"It’s a lot harder to get access to financing, especially for smaller
and newer co-ops," Balkan told IPS. In general, cooperative
organisations cannot tap into the stock market but can take out loans
from credit unions or banks, she said. "It makes it harder to grow."
Co-ops' triumphs
The Canadian cooperative movement has also succeeded in notable ways,
which the Occupy camp can highlight if it eventually forges close
connections with co-ops.
For example, co-op groups play a leading role in environmental
sustainability, because one of their guiding principles is community
concern, Balkan said.
Outdoor retailer Mountain Equipment Co-op has paved the way in
constructing new buildings with the environment in mind and drawing up
internal policies on recycling, while the Co-operators insurance company
has teamed up with the David Suzuki Foundation to create youth
internships on environmental sustainability, she said.
Investor-owned businesses and other companies have followed suit, Balkan
added, through the adoption of corporate social responsibility policies
designed to give back to communities in which they operate.
In addition, the recent financial crisis has proved that cooperatives'
solid financial management skills were what allowed them to weather the
global turmoil, Balkan noted. Co-ops tend to be prudent, which
ultimately means they grow more slowly, produce smaller profits, and
take fewer risks than firms driven by profit, she explained.
Balkan said the money co-ops earn is then invested in people, the local
communities and businesses.
Another situation co-ops may help to alleviate is people's sense of
powerlessness over their economic destiny, laid bare during the weak
financial climate of the last few years. As democratic, member-owned
entities, cooperatives directly engage people in charting their own
economic futures.
Already, the Canadian Worker Co-op Federation is pitching the worker
co-op model to young people who are keen to create their own employment
with others and are "looking for more democracy in the economy", said
Corcoran, the executive director.
(END)
--
Dan Clore
New book: _Weird Words: A Lovecraftian Lexicon_:
http://tinyurl.com/yd3bxkw
My collected fiction: _The Unspeakable and Others_
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-unspeakable-and-others/6124911
Lord Weÿrdgliffe & Necronomicon Page:
http://tinyurl.com/292yz9
News & Views for Anarchists & Activists:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smygo
"From the point of view of the defense of our society,
there only exists one danger -- that workers succeed in
speaking to each other about their condition and their
aspirations _without intermediaries_."
--Censor (Gianfranco Sanguinetti), _The Real Report on
the Last Chance to Save Capitalism in Italy_
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smygo
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=106194
Forging Bond Will Be Test for Co-ops and Occupy Movement
By Fawzia Sheikh
Cooperatives have grown in prominence, in part due to the Occupy
movement, but how closely the two can coordinate remains to be seen.
TORONTO, Dec 12, 2011 (IPS) - Canadian cooperatives may grow as the
global Occupy movement raises the profile of their business model
through boosting interest in credit unions over traditional banks, but
uncertainty remains about the degree to which the two camps will join
forces from here on.
While the cooperative sector understands that the international Occupy
trend illustrates a "huge appetite" for an alternative to the economic
and social status quo, it is unclear to what extent co-op groups will
respond to this swell of emotion, John Restakis, executive director of
the British Columbia Cooperative Association in Vancouver, told IPS.
Co-ops are vocal about representing a different and successful way of
doing business but are more reluctant to declare their identification
with the "quite radical" Occupy movement, Restakis said.
These businesses have thrived because they are risk-averse, conservative
and inclusive – a culture running counter to Occupy sentiments, he
noted. Large co-op groups are more established, have a more diverse
membership and lack the solidarity to take positions on issues.
Their smaller, younger and more activist counterparts, however, would be
interested in forging a connection with Occupy groups because some of
their members are probably part of the international phenomenon, he added.
Virtually every sector of the Canadian economy dots the co-op landscape,
including agriculture, retail, housing and healthcare, and at least 10
million people (out of a population of 34 million) are members of some
form of cooperative, according to the Canadian Cooperative Association
in Ottawa.
As co-ops grapple with how to approach the Occupy wave, one thing is
certain, according to Restakis: There is a need for dialogue between the
two, despite their deep differences, because much can be learned and shared.
Occupy supporters can act as a "new generation of activists and people
that are committed to social, economic justice" and can "re-tell the
co-op story from the perspective of young people", he argued.
This support would be advantageous to the cooperative sector because it
challenges well-entrenched organisations to take a "cold, hard look" at
their values and understand that they are part of a broader movement and
not merely a business model, Restakis said.
Lacking visibility
As Occupy mania shifts more of the world’s attention to co-ops, it will
inevitably shine a light on the flaws of the business paradigm but could
perhaps help resolve them as well.
Recent Canadian Cooperative Association research carried out in Ontario,
as well as decade-old surveys in B.C., indicates that Canadians have low
awareness of co-ops even though they may belong to one such as a credit
union or the well-known Mountain Equipment Co-op, Restakis said.
Weak recognition shows that the co-op model is not effective in
explaining to Canadians that there is another way to conduct business
outside of the public and private spheres, he said.
When co-ops in North America and Europe have made an effort to brand
themselves as a different kind of enterprise, such as the Canadian
insurer, the Co-operators Group and Gay Lea Foods, doing so has
increased their market share and helped them economically, he added.
Canada’s cooperatives are also struggling with demographic hurdles,
Hazel Corcoran, the Calgary, Alberta-based executive director of the
Canadian Worker Co-op Federation, told IPS.
In the coming years, baby boomer owners of small- and medium-sized
businesses will be retiring and there are fears that buyers will be too
few to continue the co-op legacy.
Co-op leaders tend to be older and have not engaged adequately with
youth to address business-succession concerns, added Donna Balkan,
communications manager of the Canadian Co-operative Association.
To this end, the Canadian Worker Co-op Federation is implementing
mechanisms to assist with promotional activities, technical issues and
capital for employees interested in acquiring co-ops, Corcoran said.
One challenge in the Canadian provinces outside of French-speaking
Quebec, where the co-operative movement has extensive roots, is a lack
of support for business succession in co-ops, she added.
As a result, her federation is working with the Canadian Co-operative
Association to put resources like funding and tax legislation into place
to enable workers keen on taking over baby boomers’ businesses.
"It’s a lot harder to get access to financing, especially for smaller
and newer co-ops," Balkan told IPS. In general, cooperative
organisations cannot tap into the stock market but can take out loans
from credit unions or banks, she said. "It makes it harder to grow."
Co-ops' triumphs
The Canadian cooperative movement has also succeeded in notable ways,
which the Occupy camp can highlight if it eventually forges close
connections with co-ops.
For example, co-op groups play a leading role in environmental
sustainability, because one of their guiding principles is community
concern, Balkan said.
Outdoor retailer Mountain Equipment Co-op has paved the way in
constructing new buildings with the environment in mind and drawing up
internal policies on recycling, while the Co-operators insurance company
has teamed up with the David Suzuki Foundation to create youth
internships on environmental sustainability, she said.
Investor-owned businesses and other companies have followed suit, Balkan
added, through the adoption of corporate social responsibility policies
designed to give back to communities in which they operate.
In addition, the recent financial crisis has proved that cooperatives'
solid financial management skills were what allowed them to weather the
global turmoil, Balkan noted. Co-ops tend to be prudent, which
ultimately means they grow more slowly, produce smaller profits, and
take fewer risks than firms driven by profit, she explained.
Balkan said the money co-ops earn is then invested in people, the local
communities and businesses.
Another situation co-ops may help to alleviate is people's sense of
powerlessness over their economic destiny, laid bare during the weak
financial climate of the last few years. As democratic, member-owned
entities, cooperatives directly engage people in charting their own
economic futures.
Already, the Canadian Worker Co-op Federation is pitching the worker
co-op model to young people who are keen to create their own employment
with others and are "looking for more democracy in the economy", said
Corcoran, the executive director.
(END)
--
Dan Clore
New book: _Weird Words: A Lovecraftian Lexicon_:
http://tinyurl.com/yd3bxkw
My collected fiction: _The Unspeakable and Others_
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-unspeakable-and-others/6124911
Lord Weÿrdgliffe & Necronomicon Page:
http://tinyurl.com/292yz9
News & Views for Anarchists & Activists:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smygo
"From the point of view of the defense of our society,
there only exists one danger -- that workers succeed in
speaking to each other about their condition and their
aspirations _without intermediaries_."
--Censor (Gianfranco Sanguinetti), _The Real Report on
the Last Chance to Save Capitalism in Italy_
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