Trade Unions and Producer Co-operatives

1982/02/01 by Chris Cornforth
Business, Management and Accounting · Social Sciences · #Cooperative Studies and Economics #Labor Movements and Unions

paper · doi:10.1177/0143831x8231003

openalex publication_date 1982/02/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/02

Abstract

Although the trade union and producer co-operative movements have similar historical roots and share many common aims, the relationships between the two have often been uneasy. As the number of new producer co-operatives has recently increased rapidly in many Western countries this paper aims to reexamine the relationship between the two movements. The paper is in two parts. The first part re-appraises some of the arguments against trade unions supporting producer co-operatives. The second part describes the role that trade unions could play both within individual producer co-operatives and in the wider movement. The author concludes that both movements have much to gain from closer collaboration.

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