Building Alternatives: The Story of India's Oldest Construction Workers' Cooperative

The Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS) in northern Kerala is a remarkable institution, founded as part of the early 20th century anti-caste movement. The Cooperative's raison d'être - as enshrined in its bylaws - is to 'promote the economic interests of the labourers of the Society'. Despite ups and downs over its 90-year history, the ULCCS is a highly successful cooperative, both in terms of its profitability and in its enhancing the lives of its worker-owners. This, despite the neoliberal policies that have suffocated much economic activity that lies outside of monopoly capitalism's interests. Building Alternatives provides an honest appraisal of a heroic venture of a cooperative enterprise, demonstrating that cooperatives are not only able to survive in a small niche, but are able to grow into substantial institutions within the social life of a region. The book does not gloss over the problems that come with this history, providing a rich empirical account that helps us learn from the challenges and successes. The story of ULCCS is not merely an inspiration to the world, but a guidebook to the resilience of cooperatives as alternatives within capitalism.

Author: T. M. Thomas
Publisher: Leftword Books
Published: 01/01/2020
Pages: 322
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.82lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.67d
ISBN13: 9789380118468
ISBN10: 9380118465
BISAC Categories:
- Fiction | General

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