Worker Cooperatives Offer New Green Jobs Path for Coal Regions
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📰 The quick summary: Worker cooperatives like Earthworker in Australia’s Latrobe Valley offer a democratic business model where workers own shares, vote on decisions, and receive profits directly, creating sustainable jobs as the region transitions from coal-based employment.
📈 One key stat: Worker cooperatives in Australia peaked in the 1980s and tend to be shorter-lived than other cooperative types, highlighting the challenges of establishing this alternative economic model despite its potential benefits.
💬 One key quote: “We should work together for a ‘just transition’ and create jobs that aren’t just better for the earth, but for workers too,” states the Earthworker project’s website.
1️⃣ The big picture: Worker cooperatives provide an alternative business model where employees own shares, vote democratically on decisions, and directly share profits without external shareholders. Spain’s Mondragon Corporation demonstrates how successful this model can be, operating as the world’s largest cooperative with 95 collectives. In Australia, the Earthworker cooperative network is applying this concept in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley to help transition workers away from coal-based employment. Their initiatives include manufacturing solar hot water systems, construction, and energy efficiency services, all while maintaining union wage rates and working conditions.
2️⃣ Why is this good news: Worker cooperatives ensure manufacturing and services remain locally owned and controlled, keeping profits within communities rather than flowing to external shareholders. This model promotes economic democracy by giving workers direct input into company decisions through a one-member-one-vote system. For regions like the Latrobe Valley facing industrial transition, cooperatives create alternative employment pathways that align environmental goals with workers’ needs. Earthworker’s network approach—building multiple connected cooperatives rather than a single business—offers a promising evolution of the model that could enhance sustainability and resilience in local economies.
3️⃣ What’s next: Capital acquisition remains a major challenge for Australian worker cooperatives wanting to scale their operations. Earthworker continues to develop its network of sustainable businesses despite the closure of one cooperative during the pandemic. Government manufacturing initiatives could potentially support this model’s expansion by including cooperatives in funding programs.
Read the full story here: The Conversation – As the Latrobe Valley moves away from coal jobs, could a green worker’s cooperative offer a solution?
