Ideology and the Co-operative Movement-Worker Co-operatives in the Tea Industry

This paper documents the experience of the Saongaon workers co-operative in West Bengal and the Tachai workers co-operative in Tripura, both in the tea industry. The author stresses the broad democratic method of functioning which has encouraged workers' participation in the decision-making process. The changes in organisational structures and the evolution of formal and informal methods to prevent the concentration of power in a new bureaucracy are highlighted.