Mondragon Corporation – a federation of co-operatives

Mondragon Corporation is a federation of worker cooperatives based in the Basque region of Spain, founded in 1956 by Father José María Arizmendiarrieta. It operates across four sectors: finance, industry, retail, and knowledge, employing over 70,000 workers as of 2024. The corporation is guided by 10 cooperative principles including democratic organization, participatory management, and wage solidarity — with executive-to-minimum-wage ratios capped between 3:1 and 9:1. Key historical milestones include the 1969 founding of Eroski, international expansion to 122 subsidiaries by 2013, the 2013 bankruptcy of Fagor Electrodomésticos, and the 2022 departure of ULMA and Orona cooperatives. Critics note a growing two-tier system between worker-owners and non-owner employees, while supporters cite it as a viable alternative to traditional capitalist enterprise structures.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondragon_Corporation. 8sync News only summarizes and links out; content copyright belongs to the authors and original sources.