The ethical compass

The Duttweilers' 15 theses

Gottlieb Duttweiler and his wife Adele set out their vision of a socially just society and outlined Migros' spiritual goals and moral values in 15 'theses'. To this day, the theses are still regarded as guidelines that proponents of the Migros ethos can refer to at any time.

The public commitment (legacy) to this ideal – service as part of faith: belief in the good in people. This also signifies faith in God. This pledge is a commitment to the often-mentioned Christianity in everyday life. If you can later no longer look openly into this mirror of confession, then the influence of this guiding star will be lost.
Keeping your feet on the terra firma of human and business realities ensures your mind remains focussed on the guiding star. Good heads for business management with good pay and benefits, as is currently the case. Upon request, the competent boards of directors must provide the Cooperative Councils with information on the salaries and additional income of members of the boards of directors and directorates; fixed salaries without any direct or indirect participation in revenue or net profit, nor remuneration for secondary offices, granting of extensive powers to capable managers to maintain strong business prowess. However, performance bonuses are paid to work groups, workers and employees to encourage them and improve their income.
The existence of our cooperative is based on its leadership in terms of organisational performance. With my earlier or later departure, there will be a shift in the core strength of our cooperative endeavours; those forces that are based on the personal prestige of the founder and benefactor will probably continue to have an impact as a modest myth, but the dynamic forces will recede. Efforts must be stepped up to broaden and deepen the range of ideas while ensuring optimal cost-efficiency in all individual positions of the distribution and production apparatus. In the event of personnel changes, especially in the upper ranks, the best candidates should be given priority. The subsequent loss of dynamic central management can then be offset by strengthening all personal, intellectual and individual operational positions.
Focusing on the people. Every effort must be made to perfect and preserve the innermost essence of our movement, to convince 'ordinary people', especially women, of the validity of our ideals. The populace's faith in us is the surest way to convince our own employees—even the most senior ones—of the value and power of our work. The original concept was correct and great – not to establish the employees and workers as heirs of the former limited company, but a wide swathe of the populace themselves. The surest way for us to remain true to this basic ideal is through a sincere exchange of ideas with the populace in our press and in meetings.
Continually providing evidence of loyalty to the principles of the people - rarely an appeal to the loyalty of the members of the cooperative. We must be at least as indispensable to the population of consumers as they are to us.
Under public scrutiny at all times and everywhere. Everything that the trustees of the cooperative populace do must be known by the general public – right down to the last detail. Good intentions are weak. Self-imposed, publicly declared commitments are always the safest bet for those responsible.
The Cooperative Councils must be given greater importance in future as the supreme custodians of our ideals. The members of the Board of Directors and the Directors who keep this knowledge in mind at all times must and will have the support of the Cooperative Councils in their efforts to prevent purely commercial matters, egoism and the abatement of values taking priority. These, in turn, will be strengthened in their lofty task by the faith of the cooperative populace. That is why the fight for the people's belief in our cause is the key factor.
The people who make up the Cooperative Councils should be broadened by bringing in citizens from other camps, e.g. representatives of trade unions and other economic organisations, women's associations and independent political figures of other persuasions. The meetings of the Cooperative Councils may have to be held in public or be open to the members. Healthy criticism and opposition in the Cooperative Councils must be fostered as the surest guarantee of free nature and the focus on performance rather than on the Cooperative Councils and the Board of Directors holding a position of power.
The woman's heart is the safest repository for our ideals – here they must be preserved and proliferated. Men in leadership positions are the safest performers and organisers. Real men are also able to proliferate our ideals in women's hearts. For God's sake, involve the women! If the founder can do no more, he may call on his co-founder and fellow campaigner Mrs Adele Duttweiler for advice on crucial matters. In her, his will and his spirit are most clearly and kindly ready for anything.
The general interest must take precedence over the interests of the Migros Cooperative. Business expansion and gains must be set aside whenever higher goals can be effectively promoted through collaboration with other cooperatives. However, competition in quality and price, wages and social benefits should never be sacrificed, and efforts should be made to prevent our own expansion from really damaging the vital interests of cooperative and private competition. Growth must be earned in a democracy. We must always complement our growing material power with even greater social and cultural achievements. Despite all the business and political demands, resources and the time of the best people must always be freed up for this purpose, otherwise the mighty Migros enterprise will die like a tree that no longer blossoms.
The international co-operative foundation in Rüschlikon is to be expanded and given support in accordance with the foundation charter. Until such an expansion becomes possible, and also afterwards, the "Im Grüene" park should be kept open to the public to the greatest extent possible, and the number and quality of performances, especially those of a cultural nature, should be increased.
The wages, salaries, working conditions and the relationship with our workers and employees must continue to be exemplary. Our general belief that people must be placed at the centre of business activity is particularly valid for our cooperatives. Aside from the need for total commitment and strong discipline, line managers in particular should always be aware that all employees are equal amongst one another as human beings. The freedom to join or refuse any coalition must be guaranteed under all circumstances, as must the equal treatment of all employees of any Swiss political persuasion. More money is to be spent on improving staff leisure time. All of this must be guaranteed within our obligations to our master, the cooperative members as a whole.
Respect for the achievements of the Swiss private sector – love for the collective work performed by the cooperative. We are no better than any private enterprise that treats its employees fairly, fulfils its obligations and does not abuse the power of money. However, we are ahead of the game and proud of our public-interest objectives.
No power politics from the Federation of Migros Cooperatives. It must focus the unity of the member cooperatives on performance and its moral authority. No compulsory purchases, but at most non-prohibitive loyalty discounts. The member cooperatives are to be increasingly called upon to collaborate and share responsibility, in particular through consultative management conferences. The Federation of Migros Cooperatives and its production companies must maintain a strong financial position so that they can hold the member cooperatives together by providing valuable services.
The fight must go on – but only where it is about protecting the weak and only where it is waged against abuse of power. The economic isolation of our cooperatives helps us to maintain our good intentions to stay on the right course. As long as we remain true to ourselves, this course must be seen as a blessing for everyone. A valiant fight without rashness or fanaticism. The hearts of our enemies today must be overcome – through the faith placed in us by as many of the people as possible. We must always be able to have the sincere belief that our opponents will ultimately also benefit if our intellectual, political and economic mindset increasingly prevails.