How to Build Socialism from Below: Manifesto

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Aims and Objectives

Workplace Democracy: To instill democratic practices in the means of production within workplaces.
Municipal Council: To transfer ownership of means of production to the Municipal Council.
Ecological Sustainability: To promote ecological sustainability and the use of renewable energy sources.
Autonomy: Individual & Collective: To practice and support both individual and collective autonomy.
Multicultural Pluralism: To be inclusive and respectful of diverse religions and cultures.
Non-hierarchical Relations: To develop and promote non-hierarchical relationships, addressing issues related to patriarchy, racism, workplaces, and CLTs.
Feminism: Each committee and council must ensure at least 40% participation of women to function in a non-patriarchal manner.

Alternative Institutions in Vision

Municipal Council: A directly democratic council comprising neighborhood councils from Community Land Trusts (CLTs), general council, cooperative councils, and guilds.
Task Committees: Committees formed based on specific tasks such as water supply, power supply, financial management, etc.
Profession-Guilds: Horizontal, profession-based guilds organized democratically, including teachers, doctors, workers, etc.
Community Coops: Cooperatives established to share resources and benefits within the community of CLTs.
Community Land Trusts (CLT): Cooperative housing societies where each household has one vote. Houses are allocated to coop members on installment plans without land ownership documents, preventing profit-driven sales.
Participatory Budgeting: Each CLT drafts its budget with active participation from its members.
Agricultural Coops: Cooperatives focused on organic farming and fulfilling food quotas for a sustainable future.
Credit Union: A union managing savings for all members and coops, providing funds for startups and projects.
Renewable Energy Plants: Initiatives to transition to renewable energy sources to achieve ecological sustainability.
Localizing Production: Focusing on local production of essential commodities to build community wealth.
Time Banks: Systems for exchanging credit hours and localized currencies.
Community Canteens: Providing food security for all CLT members and freeing women from traditional gender roles in cooking, promoting equal societal participation.
Community Clinics & Medical Stores: Offering free healthcare services to members through community clinics and medical stores.
Community Schools & Daycare: Ensuring free and equal education for children and providing daycare for working mothers.
Common Fruit Gardens: Establishing fruit gardens within CLTs to enhance food security.
Cooperative Incubator: Conducting workshops, educational programs, and supporting new cooperative startups.
Mutual Aid Networks: Forming communal networks for mutual aid, including skill share networks and community cleaning initiatives.
Usufruct Tool Libraries: Libraries providing free use of tools and equipment to members based on the principle of usufruct.
Recycling Cooperative: Reusing and recycling waste materials to foster a sustainable society.
Construction Cooperative Firm: A cooperative dedicated to building houses and developing community land trusts.

Step 1: Organise a General Council with your friends.
Step 2: Collectively make a business plan for a coop.
Step 3: Start a coop following below given structure.
Step 4: Form Administration, Financial, and Follow-up Commissions.
Step 5: Buy land for Community Land Trust (CLT).
Step 6: Start building other alternative institutions within CLTs)
Step 7: Form Neighborhood Committees and Councils in CLTs and Neighborhood Councils from different CLTs form Municipal Council

Administration

Basic terms for administration:

The conditions and criteria proposed and resolved by the co-operative are principles and standards adopted by all members.
The management's members are concurrently workers in the co-operative, with everyone dedicated to working.
Only one member per family may attain membership in a co-operative. More than one individual from the same family is not permitted to become a member of the same body.
An individual is entitled to membership in only one commission and does not have the right to gain membership in more than one commission. A person cannot simultaneously hold membership in the Administrative Commission, the Financial Commission, and the Follow-Up Commission.
The Administrative Commission is separate from the Financial Commission; it is not permissible for members of the Administrative Commission to hold membership in the Financial Commission.
The selection and exclusion of membership for all bodies are accomplished through organized, democratic elections, and membership shall be for a duration of one year.
To attain agreement on the implementation of decisions and projects, 60% of votes are required.
All decisions made are recorded and documented; meetings are documented in the form of written reports.
Meetings are conducted in an orderly manner and according to a structured program. In cases of emergency or communication challenges, three members can convene an emergency meeting.

Municipal Council

The Municipal Council includes all members from Neighbourhood Councils from all Community Land Trusts and members from the General Council.

The General Council

The General Council includes members of all cooperatives.

The General Council meetings are to be held orderly.

Meetings of the General Council include but are not limited to:

Evaluation of General Situation
Evaluation of Coop Events & Activities
Defining Duties and Responsibilities
Setting out Programs

Cooperative Commissions

Members in one commission cannot be members in another commission.

The Administrative Commission:
- The Administrative Commission is formed within the General Council and is made up of at least 3 people.
- The function of this commission is to implement resolutions of the General Council as per the duties and responsibilities specified by the General Council.
- It submits written reports to the General Council.
The Financial Commission:
- The Financial Commission is elected by the General Council and consists of at least 3 members.
- The duration of this commission is 1 year.
- This commission manages financial work for the cooperative.
- It submits a weekly written report of its work to the Administrative Commission and a monthly report to the Administrative Commission.
- It submits a quarterly written report of its work to the Municipal Council and General Council.
- The commission records their work in the accounting book every day.
The Follow-Up Commission:
- The follow-up process can generally be done by the cooperative commissions and meetings.
- If needed, the Follow-Up Commission is formed by the General Council.
- It submits reports to the General Council, Administrative Commission, and Municipal Council.

Membership

Anyone without cultural hierarchical discrimination is eligible to apply.
Members approved by the Municipal Council are entitled to become cooperative members.
Decisions on granting or withdrawing cooperative membership are made by the Municipal Council.
Members must comply with decisions collectively made by the Municipal Council or Cooperative Council. They have the right to participate in the decision-making process, implementation, follow-up, and monitoring of implementation.

Joining the Cooperative

Joining the cooperative is based on capital investment, work, or both.
After 1 year of probation, a member is entitled to permanent membership and therefore all other perks.
Permanent membership is granted based on performance and the needs of the workplace, as decided by the General Council.

Cooperative Coordination Council

Three members from each cooperative, and three members from each Administrative, Financial, and Follow-up commission.
The purpose is to build cooperation between the commissions and management.
Monthly meetings to evaluate written reports.
A monthly comprehensive report of work is submitted to the General Council in meetings held every three months.

Financial Management

The General Fund

The General Fund is used for all imports and exports of the cooperative. Records are to be managed daily and entered in the accounting book.
The Financial Commission counts all monthly and annual accounts, recording them in two copies: one for the Financial Commission and the other for submission to the meeting or management.

Distribution of Gross Profit

Percentage for each section will be decided by the General Council of Cooperatives.

Section 1: Portion Required for Next Phase

Running of the Coop: For the smooth functioning of the cooperative.
Next Month’s Expenditure: Raw materials, technical tools, repairs.
Cooperative Incubator: To offer workshops, coop plans, and to finance start-up of other coops.

Section 2: Fund for Community Land Trusts

Purchasing and building of Community Land Trusts.
Providing healthcare to members.
Expenses for community schools.
Renewable energy for Community Land Trusts.
Fruits planting, sanitation, roads, etc.
Educational, artistic, and sporting events.
Running community canteens.

Section 3: Shares to Members based on Shifts and Credit Hours

Value of 1 credit hour is to be decided as per the following terms:

One shift consists of 4 credit hours.
Financial Active Member: Investment + Labour = Twofold
Active Member: Only Labour = Onefold
Financial Member: Only Investment = Onefold
Financial Membership earns 1 shift each working day.

To Revitalize and Improve the Coop

30% = First year of establishment
25% = Second year
20% = Third year
15% = Fourth year
10% = Fifth year

Financial Records and Transparency

Any member can monitor the financial records and question them if needed.
All accounting records must be available to all members through an online platform.
All accounts are to be approved by two members of the Financial Commission and one member from the management.
Bills must include detailed expenses, commodities purchased, date of exchange, and issuing entity, etc.
All imports and sales must be recorded in receipts and bills.

Financial Procedures

If the coop suffers a loss in the first year: Replacement of management.
If the coop suffers a loss in the second year: Problem identification and dissolution through the Municipal Council.
If the coop suffers a loss in any other year: Replacement of the Financial & Administrative Commissions. Ban for 2 years on joining both commissions.
If the coop suffers a loss twice: Ban on members responsible for 10 years from joining both commissions.

Daybook

The Daybook includes:

Record of hours a member worked.
The work carried out by the member.

This will help to pay the worker for the work they did.

(inspired by Jackson Cooperation and Communes of Rojava)

Masawat Cooperatives Pk