workers.coop has been created to meet the needs of freelancer and worker co-ops.
workers.coop is member-led and driven and is a democratic work in progress. The federation needs to become sustainable through the input of the members. Working groups and members drive forward our strategy and deliver the bulk of activities. There are many ways to play an active role in the federation.
If you want to get involved in any part of making this federation meet you or your co-ops needs, like:
- Joining our Comms Goup to make web pages like this more engaging
- Helping us design and deliver our member support programmes
- Hosting or particpating in one of our peer learning networks
- Creating, planning or taking an action in one of our campaigns
You can.
Ways to get involved
Click on the headings below to find out more. You can sign up at the bottom of this page.
Join a working group (click on the name of the working group to sign-up)
- Co-op Support & Development – requires at least 2 additional members
- Meetings 3rd Thurs p.m. of every other month (Feb, April, June etc.)
- Work commitment: min. 1.5hr meeting every other month
- Movement Building – open to new members
- Monthly meetings last Wednesday of the month
- Work commitment: 1hr meeting every month
- Communications – looking for additional members
- Monthly meetings 3rd Thursday p.m. of the month
- Work commitment: 1.5 hr meeting every month, or equivalent time on discrete tasks
- International (Join the Forum)
- Digital infrastructure
- People, Policy and Culture
- Co-ops and Anti-Racism (email kate[at]cooperantics.co.uk)
- Monthly meetings on Wednesday a.m.
- Events planning (sign up via this page)
- Currently organising Worker Co-op Weekend 2025 (May), with ad hoc meeting times
- Do as much or as little as you want, from event organising to taking on one aspect such as a training offer or a bar.
Play a strategic role in workers.coop
- Join a strategic working group: Co-op Support and Development, or Movement Building.
- Run for the Board.
- Any member of a worker co-op can run
- Next election for the July 2025 AGM
- Commitment: Monthly Board meetings and a couple in-person thinky days per year
Take on a task or role
From a one-off 10 minute task of sharing some photos for our image bank, to an hour a month role of co-editing the Newsletter, there are many discrete tasks and on-going roles members can take on.
Whatever you enjoy doing, you’re helping to drive forward workers.coop, keeping it sustainable and making sure it’s a success.
Sign up for a task or a role at the bottom of this page or email a submission in to solidarity[at]workers.coop
Tasks
| Very little time | Small amount of time | Larger or on-going time commitment |
| Forward Newsletter sign-up or ask your co-workers to sign up to newsletter (5 mins) | Write a bio about your co-op or project for the Newsletter* | Write a one-off policy for workers.coop |
| Submit a case study of your co-op (10-15 mins) | Attend a members ‘All Hands’ meeting quarterly (1 hr) | Write a one-off funding bid for workers.coop |
| Send us high quality images of your workplace for our co-op image bank* (20 mins) | Create a graphic for one of our events* | Help us with webpage formating |
| Make sure the workers.coop logo is on your website (30 mins) | Phone bank worker co-ops (3 hrs min.) What you need: Computer and mobile Basic IT skills Good conversational skills | Visit your local worker co-ops and drop off materials (A few hrs) |
| Share a policy, guide, or example system from your co-op for our Resources* (30 mins) |
Roles
| Small amount of time | Larger or on-going time commitment |
| Join Solidfund as an individual registered supporter (£1/week) (30 mins to set up) | Join a working group (meetings roughly once a month) |
| Become a temporary co-editor of the Newsletter (1 hour per month) | Help us fundraise |
| Carry out Inductions with new membes (30 mins every few months) | Host on-going local co-op meetups in your area and support others |
| Join the temporary Events planning group (1-3 hrs per month) | Become a Co-op Clinic advisor (30 mins every few months) |
| Stand for the Board |
Sign up to take on a task or role now
Join a peer network
Become a member to get involved in one of our peer member networks or start your own. To join the peer network simply attend the next peer networking session. All upcoming events and activities are on the Events page of the website. Topics are member driven and represent areas of need for worker co-ops.
- HR peer network
- Topics-based sessions. Topics are chosen according to members’ need and interest. Sometimes a co-op/org/individual will be invited to share knowledge around a particular issue to start the conversation. If you’d like to lead on a session topic or suggest topics email mira@
- Governance peer network
- Topics-based sessions. Topics are chosen according to members’ need and interest. Sometimes a co-op/org/individual will be invited to share knowledge around a particular issue for peer learning. If you’d like to lead on a session topic or suggest topics email mira@
- Marketing peer network
- Informal peer support sessions. This is a catch-all hour for anyone who does any type of marketing work for their worker co-op to gain peer support, talk about ups and downs, bring a particular problem to the group, or share practices.
- Business Development Network
- Wholefood Wholesalers Network
- Bike Industry Network
- Therapy Network
For individuals who aren’t part of a worker co-op
- You can become a registered supporter of workers.coop by joining SolidFund, the worker co-op solidarity fund, for £1/week. Info here.
- You can still join some working groups. You will be eligible for the ‘worker member’ category of membership (for individuals not co-ops) if you have on-going participation in one of the working groups. Email secretary@ to apply.
- Participate in on-going campaigns e.g. Co-op Fortnight and solidarity initiatives through International working group
Or just reach out to us by saying hello and how you want to help on our forum.
This quarter workers.coop really needs help with…
- 2 new members for Co-op Support and Development working group
- Fundraising – contact john[at]workers.coop or mira[at]workers.coop
- Organising the Worker Co-op Weekend 2025 so that it’s even bigger and better than last year… sign up below
