Presented at: GSEF2016 Montreal

Organisation: Co-operative Federation for Liquid Concrete-Making and Delivery Kinki Region (Social and solidarity economy organization), Association of Seoul Declaration Japan (ASDJ, Citizen initiatives)

Date: September 8, 2016

Presenter: Mr. Yukinobu Masuda (Managing Director)

Contacts: seoulsengen@gmail.com

Summary: 

Ready-mixed concrete producers in the Kinki region of Japan formed a small business federation of cooperatives which brings together professionals of different departments and construction workers of 242 companies in order to obtain fair conditions from the few cement companies that dominate the industry in Japan. The particular feature of this federation of cooperatives is that it operates in solidarity with the labour union of the construction industry. In this system, cooperatives can comply with orders and access the market but also answer larger orders together and benefit from joint marketing. Consequently, workers obtain better wages, management quality has improved, safety standards have increased as has the quality of the goods produced.