[SSC] SSC constitution

[George Roberts]

Hi all

Thank you for circulating the draft constitution of the SSC

Drifting off the topic of formal organisation, I have a general question
about workers v. consumers co-operatives.

I think workers co-ops have the aim of providing a living (or at least a
wage) for their members through the provision of goods and services to
others (e.g. Infinity Foods of Brighton), while consumer co-ops, which may
enable or even require members to work, have the aim of providing members
with benefits: goods and/or services on a preferential basis (e.g. Weavers
Way of Mt Airey, PA). There are of course many examples of both kinds, and
not all to do with food. And, I suppose there is a continuum between the
two.

Education (higher or other) is an interesting and challenging good/service
to be provided on co-operative lines. If the co-op is to provide a living
(wage) for members, this presumes some exchange of value between members and
others. If "others" are learners, and "members" are teachers, the
traditional institutional power divide appears to be replicated. If all
participants in the co-op are deemed learners/teachers/researchers/scholars,
then there are no "others" with whom to exchange value. The co-op then might
become dependent on third-parties (the state, charities or other
donor/patrons), or possibly the members themselves, i.e. members are
required to work for a living (wage) elsewhere. This latter model either
replicates the old state-funded "free" education model - students get
grants, teachers/researchers get wages, or is more like a consumer
co-operative, where members work for the benefit of the co-op, but do not
derive a living (wage) from it.

George
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