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Mondragon - Collective Living, the Spanish way

By Ilana Lapidot, Executive Director of Seminar Efal, the seminar center of Kibbutz Trends
the United Kibbutz Movement

A select group of 25 Kibbutznikim and Moshavnikim travelled to Spain, to An English
renew their batteries with new experiences about collective living. The language
visit to Mondragon Cooperation Corporation was organized under the journal on
auspices of the Efal Seminar, which aspires to set up a school of higher kibbutz life
learning on the subject of communal living.
During four intensive study days we met with the founding members, the
head of the movement and the various division directors, as well as Subscriptions
visiting some of the cooperative business enterprises and the University
of Mondragon. The studies took place in "Ottelora", a majestic castle Yad Tabenkin
erected in the Middle Ages by a gentleman of that name, situated in the Ramat Efal 52960
Israel
rolling hills of the beautiful Basque region. Tel: + (972) 3 5344458
We found a captivating movement, successfully merging a modern Fax: 03-5346376
business outlook with ideology of solidarity, social economics and mutual E-mail: ruthsy-t@bezeqint.net
help. The movement has continually expanded, since its founding, even in
times of malaise.
MCC today counts 148
cooperatives: 119 industrial, 2 CALL FOR PAPERS
banks, 7 educational institutes, 3
retail businesses, 4 research The Eighth International Communal
institutes and 10 service branches. Studies Conference
The movement totals 67000 International Communal Studies
workers, 7000 of whom work in Association

various factories the movement set “The Communitarian Vision”
up around the globe. During the
present MCC congress it will be discussed how to enable these workers The Amana Colonies, Iowa, USA
to become members of the movement. The cooperatives in the Basque 28th-30th June, 2004
area adhere to the strict rule that no more than 20% of their workers are Pre-Conference tour: 26th-27th June, 2004
hired, and 80% are members. There is a waiting list of no less than 3000
people to join the movement. Acceptance of a new member is based on a Our conference will take place over three
free place of work in one of the movement's cooperatives. One cannot be days in the heart of the Amana Colonies. A
a member of the movement without working for it. When one loses his job two-day tour of historic and contemporary
for whatever reason, the movement will find him a place of work at one communal sites will be held just before the
of the other cooperatives. Workers are moved around, rather than paying opening of the conference. Information
about conference and tour registration will
them unemployment payment. This is a cooperative of work, not one of be published in subsequent editions of the
capital. The net profits are divided amongst the workers according to ICSA Bulletin and posted on the ICSA
their input, the difference in salary levels have moved from 1:3 (when the website.
cooperative was established) to almost 1:6 today. The directors are
pleased to inform us that the minimum salary in the cooperative is higher Proposals may be submitted in English by
the 1st November 2003. This may include
than that on the open local market, while the managers get less than the presentation of a paper, the
their counterparts on the local market. Each cooperative pays taxes to organization of a panel or the presentation
the movement according to its number of members. Ten percent of the of a film or other creative project.
income of the movement is dedicated to the community. We met many Proposals should be limited to one page
interesting people, such as one of the founders (today a pensioner). We (about 250 words) and must include the
following information: title, author,
were very impressed with the modesty and simplicity of this man who led a mailing address, telephone number, fax
large successful movement and managed its bank for many years. Today number and email address.
this is the fifth-largest bank in Spain. The gentleman drives around in a 5-
year old Fiesta, and does not need any status symbols. We met of course The program committee is chaired by
many more interesting people, but this is not the place to go into too Elizabeth A. De Wolfe, Associate
much detail. (We could tell you a story about each and every one. We are Professor of American Studies at the
University of New England in Biddefore,
very grateful to all those who helped organize this visit, and all those who Maine, USA. Abstracts may be sent to
received us so nicely and turned our stay into such a pleasant one. Professor De Wolfe at edewolfe@une.edu
Besides our deep impressions of Mondragon, we will forever carry with us
a love for the beautiful countryside of the lush Basque landscape. From ICSA Bulletin, April 2003

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