Co-operative Business Consultants

"Voluntary and Open Membership Co-operatives are voluntary organisations open to all persons able to use their services and willing to accept the responsibilities of membership, without gender, social, racial, political or religious discrimination."

Bob Cannell at SUMA Foods, Halifax, UK writes...

We have also had a long history of debate and disagreement on this subject. Like many coops we employ non-members, casual workers for business peaks usually, who then become invaluable and long term contracted employees.

To avoid exploitation (we don't want to be capitalists, do we?) all SUMA employees, members or not, receive the same pay and benefit rates. The only additional material benefit for members is a company pension (and a permanent contract. Employees have rolling 12 month contracts)

Members are recruited and selected very carefully; undergoing a 6 month trial membership period before their membership vote. Allowing employees to short circuit this process and automatically become members 'through the back door' was considered by many members and aspiring members to be unfair. Not allowing them to become members was also unfair and contravenes co-operative principles.

We solved this thus:

1. we agreed a SUMA Member job description thereby unlinking employment and membership. 'Sumanoids' have to be employees to be members but the reverse is not compulsory. The Member job description describes the tasks that a SUMA member is expected to do in addition to their other duties as a driver or accounts person or sales rep or whatever.
2. All SUMA workers must complete a probationary work trial (of between 3 and 6 months) before they are eligible to apply for Trial Membership. You have to be an acceptable worker before you can become a member. Existing casual workers and contracted employees have the right to apply for interview for trial membership after 12 months SUMA employment.
3. Employees must actively seek membership i.e. apply for it. Those who don't want to, can remain non-members as they wish. We have had members who surrendered membership to become contracted employees for personal reasons. Sacking, or forcing out by harassment, a long term employee because they don't want to be a member is Unfair Dismissal and will land you, as an employer, in front of an Industrial Tribunal.
4. All non-members from whatever source, casual workers, external recruitment, contracted employee, are interviewed and assessed against the member job description. Those which appear able to fulfill it must be allowed to enter Trial Membership. The only qualification is ability. (This is widely interpreted so as not to discriminate against people who have few formal qualifications.)
5. During Trial Membership the TM (trial member) is tested and assessed against the Member job description. Personnel write a membership recommendation report for SUMA members detailing how the TM is fulfilling, or not, the Member job description and recommending whether or not they vote to grant membership. Most members these days follow the recommendation but it is their right to vote as they wish for their own reasons.

The system works and has hugely reduced the disagreements and arguments that once accompanied all membership votes. It is largely seen as fair for both members and applicants. Everyone knows what the process is and how they can contribute. We now argue about the application and interpretation of the process (which causes continuous improvement in its operation.) We also know what members are supposed to be doing and can help those existing members who are not fulfilling this role. There are no longer any 'artificial' barriers to membership applications.

PS. For overseas subscribers, SUMA is a 50 member workers co-op (plus 20 non-members at present) which distributes wholefoods and environment friendly products in the UK and abroad. Formed in 1977 we've been growing ever since.