C-Mac recently achieved another milestone after the registration of the Co-operative were approved by the NSW Fair Trading on 29th May 2017. This achievement also marks the 50 years of manufacturing history of the company. Upon the approval of the Co-operative, 35 jobs were also made secure.
The aim of the Co-operative is to “provide employment to its members in secure and satisfying jobs in a facility that is committed to manufacturing and providing quality products. Through work, the Co-operative offers the possibility of personal and professional development as well as self-management.”
The idea of a workers co-operative was born after Rob McMaster participated in an online global course on employee ownership with the Oxford University in the UK and came to understand how successful and beneficial co-ops have been to communities around the world. The lecturer was Dr Anthony Jensen.
Dr Jensen helped C-Mac go through the consultation process of becoming a Co-operative. In addition, C-Mac was assisted by Frank Webb CPA, a business coach from Business Clarity. Franks role was as a mediator in the discussions between staff and their boss (Rob).
For over 18 months, Anthony, Frank, Rob and the representative staff committee worked closely to build the right culture and structure for a co-operative. With the staff running C-Mac for the last 12 months gave everyone the confidence to proceed with the co-operative registration.
All hands are on deck now to finalise the succession handover process by the 1st July 2017.
Welcome to the NEW era of C-Mac Industries!
