Vote Yes to Motion 9 to continue the partnership between the Co-op and the Co-operative Party – Co-operative Party

Vote to continue the partnership between
the Co-op Group and
the Co-operative Party

From standing up for shopworkers and tackling the coronavirus crisis, the co-operative movement and its political Party – the Co-operative Party – are working to build a society where power and wealth are shared.

Vote Yes to Motion 9 to ensure our work continues.
Cards_1

Over the next few weeks, those of us who regularly shop with the Co-operative Group (‘the Co-op’) will once again be asked to vote on continuing the partnership with Co-operative Party.

For over 100 years, the Co-operative Party and the co-operative movement have worked in partnership to build a society where power and wealth are shared. We are the political voice of the co-operative movement, taking co-operative policies and principles from the shop floor to the places where laws are made.

We are your voice at decision-making tables across the country: supporting co-operative ideas like fairtrade, food justice and protection for shopworkers. But for that work to continue, we need your vote.

To keep this historic link between our movement and our Party and to continue the amazing successes we've achieved together, Vote Yes to Motion 9 at the Co-op Group's AGM.

Since last year's vote, we have:

  • Introduced legislation to give shopworkers extra protection from violence, threats and abuse.
  • Fought for Food Justice by helping councils tackle food insecurity locally, supporting foodbanks and leading the national discussion on a Right to Food.
  • Worked with parties across Parliament to lay amendments to legislation, question Government Ministers, and instigate debates on topics of importance to the co-operative movement.
  • Brought co-operation to decision-making tables across the country, with nearly 1000 councillors, 11 Welsh AMs, 7 Scottish MSPs, 3 PCCs, and 3 Metro Mayors.
  • Supported the co-operative movement in their incredible response to the coronavirus crisis, by ensuring shopworkers were classified as key workers and given the support and recognition they deserve.

Answering your questions

What’s going on? Why am I being asked to vote again?

Over a century ago, the individual co-operative societies that make up the UK co-op movement came together to establish the Co-operative Party as their political voice. Since then, these co-operatives have regularly consulted their members and voted on whether to continue their subscription to the Party.

Today, the largest of these co-operative societies is the Co-operative Group (‘the Co-op’), which sells food, funeral care and insurance across the country.

For the past 5 years, the Co-op has held a direct ballot of its members on whether to maintain the subscription, and on all occasions, Co-op members have approved maintaining the link overwhelmingly.

The vote is taking place once again this year, and we are therefore asking for your support.

Who is eligible to vote?

You are likely to be able to vote if:

  • You shop regularly at a Co-operative Group store (with a blue membership card) and spent over £250 using your membership card in 2019.
  • You have an insurance or funeralcare plan with the Co-op.

You may not be able to vote if:

  • You have spent less than £250 at the Co-op in the past calendar year, or have not used your blue membership card.
  • You are a member of an independent Co-operative society (such as Scotmid or Central England)

If you are unsure whether you are eligible to vote, visit https://membership.coop.co.uk/eligibility-to-vote (requires you to be logged in) or call 0800 0686 727.

Being a member of the Co-operative Party (with a purple membership card) does not automatically make you eligible in this vote – though many Party members will be eligible, and will receive a voting pack by post or email.

How do I vote?

Eligible voters will receive a voting pack by post or email over the next few days.

  • If the Co-op has a valid email address on record for you, you will receive a link to vote securely online from takepart@cesvotes.com.
  • For everyone else, watch out for an AGM pack that will arrive by post.

You can vote online until Monday 1 June 2020 at 12PM.

Logo White@4x

You’re not just a shopper.
You’re a pioneer.

The Co-op is more than a shop: it's a critical part of a movement dedicated to changing the way power and wealth are shared.

From being the first supermarket to stock Fairtrade products to their brilliant work on tackling the climate emergency by pioneering the elimination of plastic waste, they show us a different, more ethical way to do business.

Your blue card is more than a way to earn rewards for yourself. As you shop, you are supporting causes in your local community. You are signalling your support for an ethical business that pays its fair share of tax. You are earning the right to make decisions about how the Co-op should use its power. You make the work we do possible.

Your card means you are part of a movement. You're not just a shopper. You're a pioneer.

Angled@4x

Co-operative Party and the Co-op working together to make violence, threats and abuse #NotPartoftheJob

We've been proud this year to continue supporting the Co-op's campaigns to protect retail workers from violence, threats and abuse. Alongside our continuing support of their Safer Colleagues, Safer Communities programme, we supported the launch of their groundbreaking report, It's Not Part of the Job, with political action.

We ask shopworkers to enforce the law by preventing illegal sales of knives, acid and alcohol, but the law doesn't do enough to protect them. That's why Labour & Co-operative MP Alex Norris recently introduced a bill in Parliament calling for stronger protections for shopworkers and tougher penalties against those who assault or threaten them. He also obtained a commitment from Prime Minister Boris Johnson to meet with him and colleagues who have been victims of violence, like Matt from this video, to discuss this issue.

The Coronavirus pandemic has highlighted how shopworkers are some of the unsung heroes of our society. With your vote and support, we can continue our work to protect them from violence and ensure they get the protection and recognition they deserve.

Our work together since the last Co-op AGM

We have actively championed co-operative forms of economic, social and voluntary organisation. We've promoted co‑operatives as a better way of doing business – using our electoral agreement to influence Labour, as well as working with other parties and Governments of all colours.

Jim

Westminster

Our 26 Labour & Co-op MPs and 16 peers questioned Ministers, laid amendments to legislation and instigated debates on a wide range of topics including:

  • Protection for retail workers
  • Ending Modern Slavery
  • Co-operative development and expansion
  • Democratic public ownership
  • Community transport
  • Childcare
  • Fairtrade
  • The Coronavirus response
Local Government

Local government

  • The Greater Manchester Co-operative Commission, co-created by the Party and Co-operative Mayor Andy Burnham, published their report calling for the creation of a Greater Manchester Co-operative Zone – the first of its kind in the UK.
  • We saw the election of Jamie Driscoll as the new Co-operative Metro Mayor for the North of Tyne, bringing the number of Co-operative Metro Mayors to 3.
  • Our co-operative councillors, now nearly 1000 strong, provided an even stronger voice for co-operation right across the country: supporting community wealth building, community energy, community-led housing and support for private renters.
Sarah-Boyack-MSP

Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland

  • Scottish Co-operative Party members submitted over 100 responses to the Holyrood consultation, more than any other organisation, in support of Daniel Johnson MSP’s bill to end violence against shopworkers in Scotland.
  • Launch of the ‘Working co-operatively for sustainable and just food systems’ commissioned by the Wales Co-operative Party as part of our Food Justice campaign.
  • Co-operative Party Northern Ireland published their first manifesto, calling for a co-operative response to the future of the region.

Our co-operative response to the coronavirus crisis

  • Co-operative MPs ensured that shopworkers and others working in the food supply chain were named as keyworkers, giving them the recognition and protections they deserved.
  • Co-operative representatives and members worked with the Co-op on a wide range of issues related to coronavirus, including Free School Meals, funeralcare, community shops and co-operative academies.
  • Our Councillors worked with the Co-op to support co-operative solutions to the Covid-19 crisis by supporting mutual aid groups, access to foodbanks and co-ordinating community responses.
Foodbank

Promoting a co-operative future

  • We led a national implementation group with leading co-op movement figures and politicians, which ensured political commitment to double the size of co-operative sector.
  • Co-operative MP Anneliese Dodds became the new Shadow Chancellor and reaffirmed her commitment to co-operative growth.
  • We launched two new policy documents at our conference, calling for a Co-operative Green New Deal to tackle to climate emergency, and greater devolution as part of Community, Place and Power.
Centenary Conference Parliament Square

Continuing co-operative fairness

  • Continued to support Fairtade, with Co-operative MP Preet Gill (newly-appointed Shadow Secretary of State for International Development) pushing to ensure Fairtrade is a key element of any new trade deals post-Brexit.
  • Extended our partnership with Fair Tax Mark, working on the creation of Fair Tax Towns and promoting businesses like the Co-op which pay their fair share of tax. We continue to be the only political party in the UK who are Fair Tax accredited and we're proud to pay our fair share.
Scotmid President Harry Cairney on the left with from left to right Scottish Greens Co-Convener Patrick Harvie, Co-op MSP James Kelly, Green MSP Alison Johnstone, Labour MSP Daniel Johnson, Labour MSP Iain Gray, Co-op MSP Rhoda Grant, Scottish Labour Leader Richard Leonard MSP, Co-op MSPs Johann Lamont and Neill Bibby
AlexNotPart

Ending violence against shopworkers

  • Co-operative Parliamentarians introduced a bill to secure stronger protections for shopworkers and tougher penalties against those who assault or threaten them.
  • Co-op MP Alex Norris raised the Government's lack of response to the Co-op's submissions to the Retail Violence consultation with the Prime Minister, and obtained a promise that the Prime Minister will meet with him and victims of retail violence from his constituency.
  • In Scotland, Co-operative MSPs continue to push for a parallel bill which would protect retail workers in Scotland.
Scottish Coop Party Food Justice

Fighting for Food Justice

  • Thousands of members of the public joined our campaign for Food Justice, calling for action to tackle food insecurity – because in the sixth richest country in the world, nobody should go hungry. 
  • Our councillors took that campaign to a local level, with dozens of Co-operative councils creating local food plans, and supporting food banks and community kitchens.
  • As a result of our campaign, the Welsh Government instituted new Food Justice milestones and the Labour Party pledged to introduce a Right to Food in UK law.
modern-slavery-barking-9361

Combatting modern slavery

  • Nearly 100 councils have now signed our Charter Against Modern Slavery, which helps councils eliminate modern slavery from their supply chains.
  • During an independent review of the Modern Slavery Act in June, Co-operative MPs highlighted in Parliament the Co-op's Bright Future programme supporting victims of modern slavery into employment.
  • In response to the Queen's Speech in October, Co-operative MPs pushed to ensure more was done to help victims of Modern Slavery.

Are you voting Yes to Motion 9?

Click below to tell people you'll be voting Yes to Motion 9 and encourage others to do the same!

Contents