Worker Co-operatives

What are they?

Worker co-operatives are businesses which are owned and controlled by all the people who work in the business.

Employee owned businesses have many advantages for workers, especially for a relatively small business serving a local market.

• Simple to create
• Inexpensive to set up
• Releases finance through employee share capital
• Joint ownership of businesses creates significant tax benefits
• Limited liability for the worker-owners
• Employee ownership creates greater involvement as the business belongs to the workers
• Co-owned businesses encourage equality and democratic control as each worker-owner has one vote
• Higher job satisfaction, as worker owners are working for themselves
• There is less chance of industrial relations problems as employee owners have a stake in the businesses
• Sharing business ownership often increases productivity
• More stability for worker-owners and their communities
• Individuals have more control of their lives

How can we help?

The Wales Co-operative Centre can help with all stages of sharing company ownership by starting a new worker co-op.

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