People who decide – Suara Co-operative takes participation seriously Date: 19.06.25 |Categories: Exchange |Tags: European co-operation, public services Right: Laia Bonastra, Suara’s elected President (Chair of the Board), and three former presidents June 2025 • Jonathan Bland I recently had the privilege of attending the AGM of Catalonia’s Suara Co-operative. I was intrigued to learn about how a workers’ co-operative with over 1,800 members takes key decisions about the future of their business. E3M and Suara have an ongoing learning exchange. Back in 2021 we held an online session at which Suara presented their model of participation to an E3M audience. This showed they take a mature and well worked out approach. The AGM which took place on the 31st May this year was truly impressive, involving 1,200 people at the “Palau de Congresos de Catalunya” convention centre. A lot of work goes into making sure things go smoothly. In the run up to the event members have access to specially made preparatory video presentations via Suara’s online members‘ portal and the co-operative holds a series of online sessions for members, to clarify how the AGM will work and answer questions about strategic issues and the things members will be voting on. They are run as webinars for about 150 people with presentations from a panel involving the co-operative’s President, one of its co-directors and members of its board. At the AGM itself, new members of the co-operative are accompanied by buddies who are long standing members and can help with any questions about how things work. When I spoke with Laura Peracaula, Suara’s co-director, she stressed how important it is to get everyone in the co-op to understand their strategic goals. A lot of time and effort is spent explaining things ahead of the meeting, e.g. understanding the finances for non-financially trained people. The AGM was in two halves. During the first half (which was for just for members and I did not attend – guests were invited to the second half) I was told there were lively questions and debate about the need to pressure the regional government to secure decent contract values for the services being delivered. People said that it is really positive for members to be so fully engaged. This was followed by a series of votes on the annual report and financial statements (which showed 13% growth on the previous year), profit distribution, the consolidated accounts, appointment of auditors and elections to committees on ethics and appeals. The second half involved a series of speeches and presentations and the results of the elections (the annual report and accounts, and recommendation of auditors were all approved and the newly elected committee members were invited to take to the stage). Suara’s key stakeholders from the Catalan Regional Government and Barcelona City Council made impressive speeches recognising Suara as the largest co-operative in Barcelona and its importance to: participation the empowerment of women (88% of the workforce are women with an average age of 45 years and Suara’s governing bodies are led by women, with 8 of the 9 members of the Governing Board and 79% of the Strategic Board of Directors being female) creating employment and innovation. Laura Peracula gave a presentation about the strategic projects that Suara is carrying out, exploring the risks and opportunities for the future development of the co-operative. As a €150m business with 5,700 staff that runs care services across Catalonia and beyond, continued success depends on taking the right strategic direction. Suara Cooperativa runs services ranging from children’s nurseries to elderly care, and works with homeless adults, young people on the edge of care and other vulnerable groups. It is currently undergoing a strategic transformation to strengthen its role as a key player in the social care sector. In collaboration with both public and private stakeholders, it is advancing in home care and telecare services, following the recent awarding of a joint contract to provide teleassistance to over 200,000 people in Barcelona. This represents a significant opportunity to integrate digital solutions into service delivery and scale innovation in care. Through its Social Digital Lab, Suara is promoting socially impactful innovation, piloting projects that include robotics and the use of artificial intelligence. These initiatives aim to enhance service quality and efficiency while reinforcing the cooperative’s competitive position in a rapidly evolving sector. At the heart of this transformation is a commitment to people — both those receiving care and those providing it. Suara is investing in talent development and fostering co-operative values through initiatives such as “Compromís,” designed to deepen the cooperative identity and promote an inclusive, participatory organisational culture. Suara also seeks to build stronger connections within the local communities where it operates, linking services such as early childhood education and home care to foster territorial ecosystems of support. Strategic alliances are enabling Suara to expand into new areas and offer new services, including the integration of a foundation within the cooperative structure. In parallel, Suara is committed to climate responsibility — both by minimising its environmental impact and by preparing for potential disruptions caused by the climate crisis, such as the recent power outages and floods. At a policy level, Suara plays an active role in shaping key legal reforms in Catalonia, including the ongoing revisions of co-operative legislation and the Social Services Act — essential frameworks that influence working conditions in the care sector. Additionally, the co-operative continues to advocate for the rights of those it supports, such as people experiencing homelessness, ensuring that social services uphold dignity, justice, and inclusion. Interestingly the co-operative is running a new pilot in how to run these strategic projects. Each one is led by a leader chosen by the co-operative’s General Director. The project leader then chooses four or five people to work together and lead with them. They can then also invite ‘‘followers“ to bring knowledge and help develop a strategic view. Meeting once per month, they can draw on anyone from the organisation. Followers can join the group if they are interested. The followers can’t make decisions but can join in the discussions. It is a new method and a very non-hierarchical way of guiding the future direction of the co-operative. The AGM also heard a report about a project looking at the revision of the internal rules for participation, this included member capital contributions, the disciplinary committee, the work regime, the disciplinary regime, types of members, incompatibilities in management roles and the voting system. Currently they are in the second phase of this piece of work. It is done through eight working groups involving 150 people and with different ways for members to get involved ranging from videos to debate sessions. When complete they will make recommendations for change to the co-operative’s Board to approve. Perhaps the standout moment of the AGM was a special presentation to celebrate 2025 as the UN year of the Co-operative. Laia Bonastra, Suara’s elected President (Chair of the Board) made a joint presentation alongside three previous presidents. She talked about people’s different roles as members and workers, and together with the three previous presidents, gave a presentation on “how and why we do things.” Their speeches were made against a video backdrop rolling through time from the formation of Suara in 1981 – with one of the original co-ops that later merged with others to become Suara, to the present day. It vividly showed the steps and development of the co-operative and how is it has constantly evolved to what it is now. There are probably a lot of different factors behind Suara’s success, but I think the way members apply co-operative principles and the very considerable investment they make in participation in terms of effort, time and resources is key, alongside a strategic dynamic approach that embraces innovation and change. It was a real honour to take part and really inspiring to see such a successful democratic business that has such positive impact on people – its staff and everyone they care for. I would like to express my thanks to Laia Peracuala, Laura Bonsastra and Jordi Picas and all the Suara members who made me feel so welcome.
People who decide – Suara Co-operative takes participation seriously Date: 19.06.25 |Categories: Exchange |Tags: European co-operation, public services Right: Laia Bonastra, Suara’s elected President (Chair of the Board), and three former presidents June 2025 • Jonathan Bland I recently had the privilege of attending the AGM of Catalonia’s Suara Co-operative. I was intrigued to learn about how a workers’ co-operative with over 1,800 members takes key decisions about the future of their business. E3M and Suara have an ongoing learning exchange. Back in 2021 we held an online session at which Suara presented their model of participation to an E3M audience. This showed they take a mature and well worked out approach. The AGM which took place on the 31st May this year was truly impressive, involving 1,200 people at the “Palau de Congresos de Catalunya” convention centre. A lot of work goes into making sure things go smoothly. In the run up to the event members have access to specially made preparatory video presentations via Suara’s online members‘ portal and the co-operative holds a series of online sessions for members, to clarify how the AGM will work and answer questions about strategic issues and the things members will be voting on. They are run as webinars for about 150 people with presentations from a panel involving the co-operative’s President, one of its co-directors and members of its board. At the AGM itself, new members of the co-operative are accompanied by buddies who are long standing members and can help with any questions about how things work. When I spoke with Laura Peracaula, Suara’s co-director, she stressed how important it is to get everyone in the co-op to understand their strategic goals. A lot of time and effort is spent explaining things ahead of the meeting, e.g. understanding the finances for non-financially trained people. The AGM was in two halves. During the first half (which was for just for members and I did not attend – guests were invited to the second half) I was told there were lively questions and debate about the need to pressure the regional government to secure decent contract values for the services being delivered. People said that it is really positive for members to be so fully engaged. This was followed by a series of votes on the annual report and financial statements (which showed 13% growth on the previous year), profit distribution, the consolidated accounts, appointment of auditors and elections to committees on ethics and appeals. The second half involved a series of speeches and presentations and the results of the elections (the annual report and accounts, and recommendation of auditors were all approved and the newly elected committee members were invited to take to the stage). Suara’s key stakeholders from the Catalan Regional Government and Barcelona City Council made impressive speeches recognising Suara as the largest co-operative in Barcelona and its importance to: participation the empowerment of women (88% of the workforce are women with an average age of 45 years and Suara’s governing bodies are led by women, with 8 of the 9 members of the Governing Board and 79% of the Strategic Board of Directors being female) creating employment and innovation. Laura Peracula gave a presentation about the strategic projects that Suara is carrying out, exploring the risks and opportunities for the future development of the co-operative. As a €150m business with 5,700 staff that runs care services across Catalonia and beyond, continued success depends on taking the right strategic direction. Suara Cooperativa runs services ranging from children’s nurseries to elderly care, and works with homeless adults, young people on the edge of care and other vulnerable groups. It is currently undergoing a strategic transformation to strengthen its role as a key player in the social care sector. In collaboration with both public and private stakeholders, it is advancing in home care and telecare services, following the recent awarding of a joint contract to provide teleassistance to over 200,000 people in Barcelona. This represents a significant opportunity to integrate digital solutions into service delivery and scale innovation in care. Through its Social Digital Lab, Suara is promoting socially impactful innovation, piloting projects that include robotics and the use of artificial intelligence. These initiatives aim to enhance service quality and efficiency while reinforcing the cooperative’s competitive position in a rapidly evolving sector. At the heart of this transformation is a commitment to people — both those receiving care and those providing it. Suara is investing in talent development and fostering co-operative values through initiatives such as “Compromís,” designed to deepen the cooperative identity and promote an inclusive, participatory organisational culture. Suara also seeks to build stronger connections within the local communities where it operates, linking services such as early childhood education and home care to foster territorial ecosystems of support. Strategic alliances are enabling Suara to expand into new areas and offer new services, including the integration of a foundation within the cooperative structure. In parallel, Suara is committed to climate responsibility — both by minimising its environmental impact and by preparing for potential disruptions caused by the climate crisis, such as the recent power outages and floods. At a policy level, Suara plays an active role in shaping key legal reforms in Catalonia, including the ongoing revisions of co-operative legislation and the Social Services Act — essential frameworks that influence working conditions in the care sector. Additionally, the co-operative continues to advocate for the rights of those it supports, such as people experiencing homelessness, ensuring that social services uphold dignity, justice, and inclusion. Interestingly the co-operative is running a new pilot in how to run these strategic projects. Each one is led by a leader chosen by the co-operative’s General Director. The project leader then chooses four or five people to work together and lead with them. They can then also invite ‘‘followers“ to bring knowledge and help develop a strategic view. Meeting once per month, they can draw on anyone from the organisation. Followers can join the group if they are interested. The followers can’t make decisions but can join in the discussions. It is a new method and a very non-hierarchical way of guiding the future direction of the co-operative. The AGM also heard a report about a project looking at the revision of the internal rules for participation, this included member capital contributions, the disciplinary committee, the work regime, the disciplinary regime, types of members, incompatibilities in management roles and the voting system. Currently they are in the second phase of this piece of work. It is done through eight working groups involving 150 people and with different ways for members to get involved ranging from videos to debate sessions. When complete they will make recommendations for change to the co-operative’s Board to approve. Perhaps the standout moment of the AGM was a special presentation to celebrate 2025 as the UN year of the Co-operative. Laia Bonastra, Suara’s elected President (Chair of the Board) made a joint presentation alongside three previous presidents. She talked about people’s different roles as members and workers, and together with the three previous presidents, gave a presentation on “how and why we do things.” Their speeches were made against a video backdrop rolling through time from the formation of Suara in 1981 – with one of the original co-ops that later merged with others to become Suara, to the present day. It vividly showed the steps and development of the co-operative and how is it has constantly evolved to what it is now. There are probably a lot of different factors behind Suara’s success, but I think the way members apply co-operative principles and the very considerable investment they make in participation in terms of effort, time and resources is key, alongside a strategic dynamic approach that embraces innovation and change. It was a real honour to take part and really inspiring to see such a successful democratic business that has such positive impact on people – its staff and everyone they care for. I would like to express my thanks to Laia Peracuala, Laura Bonsastra and Jordi Picas and all the Suara members who made me feel so welcome.