1. Worker Co-operatives and Trade Unions Bob Cannell bob@suma.coop

4. 1.

6. Business Success £35 million sales (2013) £1 million profit Leading independent brands (Suma & Ecoleaf) ROCE > Apple Inc. Exports to 40 countries 1000s of customers from supermarket chains to student food buying co-ops 37 years of innovation in services and products Double market rate wages Two month bonus

8. Sumawww.suma.coop Employee buyout 1977 100% employee owned and controlled Multi-skilling and job variety Equal wage rates for all Democratic management Management by consensus no Managing Director, no Chief Exec, no Executive management

12. BFAWU branch Suma 547 1. The Suma TU story – How we found our Union 80% of Suma members are Union members

13. 20 year badges

14. How we work with our Union We use them for: Legal advice Terms and Conditions benchmarks Mediation and Conciliation Defending individual workers Workplace education Political campaigns

15. How our union uses Suma As an example of: Good workplace health and safety Good employment terms and conditions Worker controlled employment

16. TUs and worker co-ops in the UK Historical disagreements from 19 th century Political differences (collective bargaining vs. worker control) Resort to worker co-ops if no alternative (Tower Colliery, Remploy, Wales Co-op Centre) ‘Unused potential for recruiting TU members in the private sector’ David Jenkins, Wales TUC Employee buyouts of private SMEs assisted by unions and recruitment of worker owners – as in France

17. Worker Co-operatives in the UK Like USA large employee ownership sector – John Lewis 80,000 partners not employee controlled small worker cooperative sector - 400 largest 450 members, worker owned and controlled International Cooperative Alliance standards

18. www.calverts.coop

19. http://unicorn-grocery.co.uk/

20. www.dulas.org.uk

21. www.delta-t.co.uk

22. www.edinburghbicycle.com/

23. www.trafficsystems.co.uk

26. SUMA is, at heart, a political statement that workers can successfully manage their own businesses without an owner/executive elite.