There are thousands of people working in UK worker co-ops, collectively sitting on millions of pounds in separate bank accounts.
What would it look like to organise money collectively instead?
This month on Punchcard I spoke to Rob Callender from Kin.coop about savings clubs, collective finance, and why worker co-ops might need to think beyond just democratising work.
Replacing Banks with Savings Clubs — out now on Punchcard
workers.coop/punchcard\
#workercoop #coops #solidarityeconomy #mutualaid #economicdemocracy cooperative workerscoop communitywealthbuilding collectivefinance
This month Punchcard’s guest is Paul Kahawatte, a member of Navigate and an experienced mediator working with communities, cooperatives, and social movements. In my interview with him, he shares the structures and processes he uses to ward off conflict, catch it early, and resolve it in ways that strengthen, rather than fracture.
Rupay was unsure whether he should start a coop for cleaners and migrants because of the inherent power imbalance, but he wanted to support a broader range of Coops to form and felt like he could use his skills as a lawyer to incubate a group to start a coop and so gave it his best shot
Listen to the newest episode of punchcard to hear how he facilitated the creation of a cleaning cooperative in Berlin and what he learnt along the way
Starting off as a small shop operating out of a loading bay to a thriving worker co-op that owns its own the entire building, has around 50 dedicated members and is a shining example of what worker cooperatives can accomplish.
In this episode of Punchcard, Corrina and I talk about how Unicorn has become such a success and how they plan to develop further.
In the new episode of punchcard elle talks about their experience of classism within co-ops, what the solutions are and why inclusion isn't enough
Listen wherever you listen to your podcast
@workers.coop is the member-led network and voice for worker co-ops in the UK. The vision of workers.coop is a world where wealth is distributed fairly and everyone has access to rewarding, meaningful and sustainable work.
🤔 How to start a cooperative 🛠️
A Q&A session on what a worker co-op is and how you can start one. Members of two creative co-ops — @not.nowhere and @calverts_london — will share their experiences of organising cooperatively, explain what the first steps are to starting one and point you towards further support and resources. Facilitated by @calebfjlelliott , member of Principle Six and host of punchcardpodcast.
In this episode of Punchcard, we speak with Ai Van Kok, formerly a financial worker at Leeds Bread Co-op. Ai Van joined the co-op at a critical moment—just months away from financial collapse—and played a key role in turning things around. Facing an urgent crisis, she turned to traditional business management literature for solutions, finding valuable insights in books like Profit First and The E-Myth Revisited.
One of the most impactful tools Ai Van discovered was the £1 model. Financial documents make most people’s eyes glaze over, but the £1 model strips away unnecessary details and highlights only the key information. For the first time, members of Leeds Bread Co-op felt they could truly understand the co-op’s finances and were able to cut costs that saved the business.
While Ai Van had to adapt these tools to fit a cooperative framework, her approach challenges resistance to learn from traditional business practices. By translating and repurposing these methods, she has not only helped Leeds Bread Co-op but also supported other small co-ops, including Loaf Bakery, The Bike Mill, and Footprint, in strengthening their financial understanding and management.
Watch in the supplementary video on Youtube where Ai Van Kok breaks down the £1 model, explaining exactly how to use it and how to apply it to your cooperative.
__________________________
Support us by contributing as little as £1 per month at opencollective.com/workerscoop/projects/punchcard
Listen, follow & rate Punchcard on workers.coop/podcast, Overcast, PocketCasts, RSS, Spotify, Apple Podcasts & Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts
Rebecca Kemble, an experienced cooperator from the US, who is a member of @Unioncabcoop Worker Cooperative in Madison and co-founder of the Solidarity Economy Principles Project comes onto @Punchcardpodcast to explain how the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives drifted away from its grassroots origins.
From 2009-2016 Rebecca was a member of the board of the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives, and in late 2024, Rebecca penned an article pointing a finger at the Federation for having drifted away from its grassroots cooperative movement origins, by centralising power and becoming unaccountable to the cooperatives that it claims to represent.
In response to the Federations shift Rebecca and others have developed the Solidarity Economy Principles Project. The project was founded to help guide and ground organisations in cooperative practices & principles to avoid them going the same way as the US Federation.
To hear the full story, listen to episode 5 of Punchcard - A Warning From The US Federation of Worker Coops w/ Rebecca Kemble.
Additional resources
- Back to Basics: Aligning Our National Organizations with Co-op Principles - by Rebecca Kemble
- Remembering the Democracy at Work Network | GEO Live #18 w/ Jim Johnson and John McNamara
- Mapping Our Futures: Economics and Governance Curriculum by Elandria Williams, Susan Williams and Samir Hazboun
__________________________
Support us by contributing as little as £1 per month at opencollective.com/workerscoop/projects/punchcard
Listen, follow & rate Punchcard on workers.coop/podcast, Spotify, Apple Podcasts & Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts
@workers.coop spoke to Suma member Beau about the challenges and compromises required to practice direct democracy within our 200+ member cooperative.
Go have a listen at workers.coop/podcast 👂 or wherever you get your podcasts.
We speak to Beau Bulman, one of the People Development Coordinators at Suma Wholefoods Worker Cooperative about the challenges and compromises required to practice direct democracy within a cooperative of 200 worker-members, as well as sharing insights into improving member recruitment, member induction, and sustaining a cooperative culture.
In addition to this conversation with Beau, Suma has shared their seven internal cooperative principles, that they use alongside the seven International Cooperative Principles:
- Suma members multi-skill.
They actively seek out training and development to enable them to take on roles in both office and non-office areas (where practical and reasonable).
- Suma members see the bigger picture.
They have a broad knowledge of Suma and have an understanding of the wider business environment.
Suma members put in more than they take out.
They work for the collective good, actively promoting cooperative values.
- Suma members communicate openly and honestly.
They are professional and approachable, endeavouring to understand the viewpoint of others.
- Suma members actively seek out responsibility.
They self-manage and involve themselves in the management and development of their business.
- Suma members are flexible.
They are responsive to the changing needs of their business.
- Suma members are hardworking and have a can-do attitude.
They monitor both the quality of their work and their productivity to ensure they meet member standard.
Listen in as we dive into Beau’s work and explore strategies for cultivating democracy & collective responsibility.
__________________________
Support us by contributing as little as £1 per month at opencollective.com/workerscoop/projects/punchcard
Listen, follow & rate Punchcard on workers.coop/podcast, Spotify, Apple Podcasts & Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts from.
In this episode 3 of Punchcard, we sit down with Owen Powell, a lecturer and researcher with a focus on cooperative democracy. Owen first cut his teeth in the Young Cooperators Network, a national initiative formed by young people seeking cooperative alternatives to traditional economic models following the 2008 financial crash. Since then, he has completed a PhD that examined how larger and more established worker cooperatives maintain collectivist democracy over time.
In his PhD research, Owen identified 3 critical factors for strengthening cooperative democracy:
- Member Induction, Integration, and Involvement
- A Culture of Reviewing and Refreshing Established Norms
- Bringing in Learning and Expertise from Outside
Owen remains deeply committed to the cooperative movement, actively contributing to workers.coop as a member of their research working group. The group has already published two significant reports on the organisation’s collectivist health, offering valuable insights into the sustainability of cooperative principles.
Join us as we explore Owen's work and discuss how research can support and empower cooperatives to survive the winds of change.
In the episode 2 of Punchcard, Nacho speaks candidly about the highs & the lows of his & Carla's 10 year journey with Black Cat Cafe. Even though from the outside Black Cat Cafe seems to be extremely successful Nacho shares about the constant challenges they faced - the difficulties paying members & staff fairly, and the set backs when trying to attract & retain worker members.
Nacho & Caleb also reflect on the lessons learnt & we celebrate what Black Cat Cafe has achieved - having become a landmark in the vegan, activist & cooperative scenes for its pioneering vegan cuisine & dedication to supporting its community & activists.
Black Cat Cafe may stop being a workers cooperative, but as Sam Nordland said in Episode 1 painting co-op business closures as failures isn't always useful, because "we provided jobs for ourselves for a number of years & we introduced a lot of young people to working in a cooperative setting".
Support us by contributing between £1-£15 per month at opencollective.com/workerscoop/projects/punchcard
Listen, follow & rate PUNCHCARD on workers.coop/podcast, Spotify, Apple Podcasts & Youtube
