This week, Nidheesh Villatt and Vijoo Krishnan write about the Sahya Tea Cooperative, which was formed by the All India Farmer's Union (AIKS) in 2017 to provide better prices for tea farmers in the Idduki region than those paid by the "Big Tea" companies. With a factory and brand of their own, the workers and farmers of Sahya Tea have not only improved their own financial and working conditions, but also forced corporate tea buyers to increase their rates to compete with the co-op.Â
Then, the Punchcard Podcast interviews Rupay Dahm, a German employment lawyer who co-founded a worker cooperative for immigrants in the cleaning sector. After helping numerous co-ops get started, and seeing a need for co-ops in the cleaning sector, Rupay co-founded a cleaning co-op with a fellow union member. Rupay has written a book based on his experiences (currently only available in German) A Practical Guide to Democratising Companies.
The Sahya Tea Cooperative
by Nidheesh J Villatt & Vijoo Krishnan
The cooperative’s leadership convened peasants and workers to brainstorm how to improve their financial situation. Since Big Tea companies dominated the market with their packaged tea products, they decided to improve their marketing strategy and launch an effort to make inroads into the market. KS Chithra, a popular singer known as the ‘Nightingale of Kerala’, became the Sahya Tea Cooperative’s brand ambassador and helped popularise its brand, refusing to take any payment for her work.Â
Berlin’s Worker Co-op for Migrants & Cleaners
by PUNCHCARD
Rupay is an employment lawyer in Germany, fighting for workers’ rights. Frustrated, working in a system rigged against workers, he sought out more empowering alternatives and discovered worker cooperatives...In this episode of Punchcard, Rupay shares his experience incubating the cleaning cooperative and the importance that trust and social connections played within that.Â
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Financing freedom: how we funded our co-op
Ray's Blog — In simple terms we are a fully mutual housing co-operative. This means that all of our tenants are members, and all of our members are directors/decision-makers. So while we do all pay rent, we also get a say in what the rent is set at (in our case Local Housing Allowance level) and how that rent is used. At the moment, because we have bought the property thanks to loans from individuals, most of our rent goes towards repaying those individuals over-time - much like you would a mortgage but with much lower interest rates, and in my opinion, less risk (which I’ll come back to later in the power of community)...
India’s co-ops minister officially launches driver-owned Bharat Taxi
Co-op News — Bharat Taxi, a platform co-op designed as a driver-owned alternative to capital-extractive models like Uber, was launched this month in New Delhi by India’s Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah. The platform is run as a multi-state co-op, with drivers, known as Sarathis, joining as members, shareholders and co-owners. Shah said the co-op will share 80% of its profits among its drivers based on kilometres travelled, while the remaining 20% will be used to build co-operative capital...
CDF introduces new catalog of shared equity models
NCBA CLUSA — How do you make limited‑equity housing co‑ops work on a community land trust? What does it take to convert a manufactured home community into resident ownership? And what exactly is a permanent real estate co‑op? If you’ve ever wished for clear, practical explanations of the shared equity models helping communities secure permanently affordable housing, this webinar is for you...
Washington House Committee Approves Bill to Allow Licensed Marijuana Producers to Form Cooperatives
The Marijuana Herald — If enacted, the legislation would explicitly allow licensed marijuana producers to organize and operate as agricultural cooperatives under state law. The change would place marijuana alongside other agricultural products already eligible for cooperative formation, while leaving the state’s existing marijuana licensing and regulatory framework intact. Supporters of the bill say cooperative authorization could provide meaningful relief for small and mid-sized producers facing rising costs and consolidation within Washington’s regulated marijuana market...
Other Tech Worlds are Possible
DigiLabour — In this first volume, we explore how the Homeless Workers’ Movement (MTST) in Brazil has embraced technology both as a tool for organizing and as a practice rooted in territory. The story follows Carolina, an activist who finds work through Hire Those Who Struggle (Contrate Quem Luta), a worker-led platform that helps generate income for workers from the Homeless Workers’ Movement...
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