Cooperative Constitutionalism: International Enterprises Ltd.

International Enterprises, an American-owned multinational company, is one of the world’s major suppliers of domestic appliances. The case history concerns one of the company’s plants in Britain manufacturing washing machines and tumble driers, where some 3,500 manual workers are employed. The factory complex is located in what used to be termed a depressed area where structural unemployment has remained high ever since the decline of the coal and steel industries. The town is fairly isolated and, as is often the case, a strong almost introvert community feeling exists which is reflected in the long tradition of unionism and Labour Party politics. About one in seven of the working population are employed at Enterprises. The fortunes of the company and the town are irrevocably intertwined.