Co-operatives and Trade Unions: Generating alliances for better and more meaningful work

This report considers collaborations between trade unions and co-operatives in the UK, focusing on the challenges in developing and promoting a union co-operative model of governance in the current UK socio-economic environment. Fragmentation of work, precariousness among workers, corporate questioning of trade unions are symptoms of a general crisis of the political system and social fragmentation. Historically aligned as social movements and then taking different pathways, their realignment could result in workplaces which are sites The workplace could be a site for rebuilding a new democratic project within the economy and beyond (Bird et al., 2023). Co-operatives are a relatively more democratic form of economic and social organisation that offers more socially beneficial priorities, with workers becoming active economic and social citizens (Esim & Katajamaki, 2017; ILO, 2002; Novkovic et al., 2022). Thus, the need for a dialogue between the two dimensions of the labour and progressive tradition has been highlighted by various authors that point to the mutual heritage and links across time that they have (Balnave & Patmore, 2017 ).