Page 12 - Real-Rochdale-07

175 Years of co-operation

Saturday 21 December 1844: 28 local Making a stand against the capitalist ideologies of the
workers began trading as a co-operative Industrial Revolution – a time when an increasing
at 31 Toad Lane, Rochdale, selling a number of skilled workers were falling into poverty
as their jobs were taken over by machines – the group
simple selection of high-quality goods at wrote a list of simple rules of how they would run their
honest prices. co-operative.

This was the day the global co-operative movement was The Rochdale Principles of Co-operation stipulated
born 175 years ago, a day which would make history. that provisions should be of high quality and sold at full
weight, that there should be equality of the sexes in
The Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers began the membership and that each customer would have a direct
world’s first successful consumer co-operative store, a share in the business and its profits.
business owned by its customers, formed to serve the
community with goods they couldn’t usually afford. The Rochdale Principles formed the foundation of the
principles still in use by the modern co-operative
Who exactly the Pioneers were is subject of much movement, which now numbers around 3 million Co-ops
debate, as they never actually wrote down an official list, worldwide with 1.2 billion members.
but some sources list all 28. Some were known
co-operative enthusiasts and had been involved in earlier With their rules in place, the Pioneers opened their store
co-operative ventures in the town, whilst others were four days before Christmas in an old warehouse on Toad
Chartists and idealists. Lane, selling a basic offering of sugar, butter, oatmeal
and flour, plus candles – which the Pioneers had to use
What is known is they were all working men: more than to light the shop after their gas supply was switched off.
half were involved in the textile trade, ten of them were The gas company didn’t believe the Pioneers would be
flannel weavers, whilst others were cloggers, able to pay the bills.
shoemakers, joiners or cabinet makers.

Photo: Andy Hirst Photography