Organizational democracy a staple at LaSiembra since its inception
Democratic principles rooted in Fair Trade co-operative’s history
Thursday May 15, 2008 -- Jason Thompson
When LaSiembra Co-operative was established in 1999, its founders worked to ensure organizational democracy would thrive as the organization grew and decided to use the same co-operative model employed by its producer partners.

Barry Ésau, chief marketing designer, employee-owner and member of the board of directors at LaSiembra, says organizational democracy is deeply rooted in the co-operative’s history.

Based in Ottawa, LaSiembra is a Fair Trade co-operative distributing organic chocolate, cocoa and sugar produced by farmers in developing countries.

Fair Trade is a partnership that ensures producers and workers are paid a fair wage for their product and are treated with respect. Premiums help fund health care, education, child care, pensions and increased wages in developing parts of the world.

Because Fair Trade producers are required to organize themselves as co-operatives, there was a feeling among LaSiembra’s founders that “what is good for the goose is good for the gander,” Ésau says.

“If organizational democracy is what is required for the producers then it should be equally required of the people distributing the products.”

The early commitment to workplace democracy instilled by LaSiembra’s founders in 1999 is still a big part of the way the co-operative operates, as evidenced by the recognition on the 2008 WorldBlu List of Most Democratic Workplaces.

“We were quite surprised that simply being who we are is quite exceptional,” Ésau says.

Caitlin Peeling, sales and fair trade manager, employee-owner and member of the board of directors at LaSiembra, says when the co-operative applied to the WorldBlu List, they were more interested in obtaining a scorecard of their democratic practices than establishing themselves as a global leader in workplace democracy.

“We participated mostly to learn about ourselves and where we can improve in certain areas and how we could expand our democratic practices,” Peeling says.

Nevertheless, Peeling and her colleagues at LaSiembra are honoured by the recognition they’re receiving as a result of making the list, including calls of congratulations and interest from others in the Fair Trade movement.

The list is part of an international competition organized by WorldBlu Inc., an Atlanta-based company specializing in organizational democracy.

To be eligible for inclusion on the list, organizations are asked to have their employees complete the WorldBlu Democratic Workplace Scorecard — a survey tool developed by WorldBlu based on years of research into what constitutes a democratic workplace.

LaSiembra is one of 25 organizations named to the list in 2008. For more information, visit www.lasiembra.com.

— More to come

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