The Co-operative Party was founded in 1917 by the co-operative movement – made up of member and employee-owned businesses determined to change how business is done and who shares its rewards.
That relationship continues today, with the Co-op supermarkets and retail societies on your high street continuing to support our Party and campaign with us on crucial issues like food poverty, ending violence against shopworkers, and promoting Fairtrade.
Vote Yes to Motion 9 to ensure our work continues.
Soon, 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 as part of the Co-op Group AGM before the deadline of 16th May.
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 6 years, the Co-op Group has held a direct ballot of its members on whether to maintain the subscription, and on all occasions, Co-op Group members have approved maintaining the link overwhelmingly.
The vote is taking place once again this year, and we are therefore asking for your support.
You are likely to be able to vote if:
You may not be able to vote if:
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.
Eligible voters will receive a voting pack by post or email when voting begins.
If you sign up for our email updates, we will let you know when the vote begins and the easiest way to cast your vote.
Since last year's vote, we have:
"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 Group 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.
With abuse against shopworkers skyrocketing during lockdown, we've been proud this year to continue supporting the Co-op Group's campaigns to protect retail workers from violence, threats and abuse.
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 we backed Daniel Johnson MSP's bill in the Scottish Parliament calling for stronger protections for shopworkers and tougher penalties against those who assault or threaten them. We're proud that in August, that Bill came into force and has begun to take effect: over 300 cases were reported to the police within the first three months of the Bill becoming law.
But we didn't stop there. We continued the fight in Westminster to ensure that shopworkers are protected in every part of the UK. In December, our campaign had a massive win with an amendment which will see assaults on public-facing workers like shopworkers become an aggravated offence. This was the culmination of years of work by the Co-operative Party, the Co-operative Group and the rest of the co-operative and trade union movements. These are the kind of crucial wins that our partnership makes possible.
The Coronavirus pandemic 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.
Click below to tell people you'll be voting Yes to Motion 9 and encourage others to do the same!
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