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The Forum > Article Comments > Productivity: legislate for workplace democracy and employee ownership > Comments

Productivity: legislate for workplace democracy and employee ownership : Comments

By Klaas Woldring, published 31/8/2012

For the most part employee ownership has remained mostly of academic interest in Australia with a few notable exceptions, as for instance Fletcher Jones and Staff and Lend Lease.

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I've long argued for returned cooperative capitalism.
Co-ops inculcate a culture of productivity, and or jettisoning the drones; given everyone on the shop or factory floor has a vested interest in the success of the enterprise; and indeed, shares equally in any commercial failure!
Not all that long ago, a documentary I watched, relayed the story of a Brazilian Business Baron, bucking bankruptcy.
All his business partners and the banks turned him down.
With very little left to lose, he legally transferred ownership of his major enterprise to his senior workforce.
This effectively prevented the banks from foreclosing and or seizing his assets! Indeed, extending his overdraft; given, trading out of trouble was then only viable option remaining?
The workers all took pay cuts, injected pragmatic ideas, worked additional hours and removed all the production "bottle necks" limiting maximised production.
That was the path to success upon success that rescued his prospects and turned him into a jet-setting sun-seeker pro-golf follower.
Workers able to decide their own wages always asked for less than they earned or deserved.
The firm now supports its workforce with health insurance, interest free housing loans and a company school/day care centre, for the workers children.
This wise investment allowed the more skilled workers to return sooner and maintain production schedules.
The former "bankrupt" is now a billionaire!
In the US a well known generator manufacturer operates under a very similar profit sharing scheme. People almost have to die to create a job vacancy?
It also was an outstanding success story; and, for the very same reason that only co-ops were virtually the only business model, that survived the Great Depression intact and operational.
We blew billions into Mitsubishi, only to see them disappear, taking with them the very advanced robotics, we effectively paid for.
We had an option of buying out the foreign owners and turning the enterprise into an employee owned co-op.
Perhaps not one that made cars? But any number of other mass produced products, including mass produced, sun tracking solar arrays or methane gas power producing insitu sewerage systems etc/etc?
Rhrosty.
Posted by Rhrosty, Friday, 31 August 2012 12:08:43 PM
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Footnote: Never ever saw a co-op that ever grew too big to fail?
Never ever saw a co-op that sent its profits offshore!
Never ever saw a co-op that failed to inject the majority of its profits into the local community; or, selectively employed foreigners?
Or created offshore subsidiaries for the sole purpose of avoiding paying a fair share, of a common tax burden!
Rhrosty.
Posted by Rhrosty, Friday, 31 August 2012 12:19:50 PM
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Hear Hear.
Excellent article.
Posted by Grim, Friday, 31 August 2012 12:32:56 PM
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there is the amazing story of the Mondragon coop in Spain, thriving where the nation is about to go bankrupt. Coops work where cuththroat capitalism fails.
Posted by SHRODE, Friday, 31 August 2012 12:34:04 PM
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There is a rather large elephant in the room: automation and not just the robot factory stuff - a lot of mid range jobs being carried out by software. I am no booster in this respect but wishing it away won't work. Biggest concern is the cavalier manner we delegate work to machines.
Posted by cj, Friday, 31 August 2012 1:12:58 PM
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