A century of ULCCS: A worker co-op success story from Kerala

The Uralungal Labor Contract Co-operative Society (ULCCS) is one of the most celebrated worker co-operatives in India. It’s also the oldest. Founded in Kerala in 1925 under the guidance of the social reformer Vagbhatananda, it began with 14 members and 36 paise (roughly US$0.13 in 1925 currency).

Today, the co-op has 19,272 workers, 13,174 worker-members and a turnover of ₹2,400 crore (US$300m, £220m).

For Kishor Kumar, chief project officer at ULCCS, the secret to the organisation’s success is trust. “You trust your people,” he says. “This is the first thing. You trust them, then they trust you. ULCCS is a big, extended family.”

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