World Co-operative Monitor, published by the International Cooperatives Alliance honours a primary level Indian Labour Co-operative. Kerala-based Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS) has been ranked at Second position in the list of Industry and Utilities Co-operatives in the sectoral rankings. ULCCS has been named just below Spain based Corporation Mondragon. This ranking is based on the ratio of turnover over gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. ULCCS bagged the same position in 2018 and 2019.
The Industry and Utilities section includes cooperatives operating in industrial sectors with the exception of the food industry as well as those whose economic activity deals with utilities. It includes worker cooperatives in the construction sector and users’ cooperatives in the utilities sector, that is, cooperatives that are active in the management of infrastructure for a public service. The sector rankings edition is based on data from 2020.
Four cooperatives from India, viz., IFFCO, GCMMF, Kribhco and ULCCS figure in the sectorial report. Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Society- based at Vadakara in Kerala received membership to the International Cooperatives Alliance in 2019. ICA permanent membership is usually awarded to national apex bodies of co-operatives, but ULCCS was selected based on the performance of the society during the last 98 years. It was the first Primary Co-op Society that became an ICA member.
Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS) is a primary cooperative started in 1925 in a rural hamlet. It began with 14 members and a capital of 6 Annas (old Indian currency) equivalent to about Rs. 0.37. The organization’s commitment towards daily wage labourers in the initial phases led to a strong commitment towards social causes. It is now the largest such cooperative society in Asia. ULCCS is a model co-operative society in India staying true to its objective of uplifting and empowering the poor workers and backward sections of society.
With this objective, the Society has always undertaken activities that not only provide employment for the time being but also create new opportunities in the long run. It is this futuristic outlook that has stood the Society well in its long history of 98 years.
Despite evolving with the radical changes of nationalism and socialism that pervaded the country during the struggle for independence, ULCCS has never been guided or influenced by political interests.
Its guiding principle has always been the welfare of its members. Its management and control are vested in the members themselves who function with the utmost transparency and simplicity. Considering the meritorious service performance of the Society, the Government of Kerala appointed ULCCS as an Accredited Agency in various departments for execution of projects without tender procedure.
ULCCS seeks to uphold the highest values of integrity and ethics without compromising quality in the work they undertake. While the society started primarily in the area of construction, it has subsequently branched out into a number of sectors such as UL CyberPark- in IT/ITeS Infrastructure development, UL Technology Solutions-Total Solution Provider in IT/ITeS sector, Matter Laboratory for material testing. Indian Institute of Infrastructure and Construction, DDUGKY in Education / Skill development sector, UL Agriculture in Agriculture area, Sargaalaya and Vellar Craft villages in tourism/Handicraft sector, Madithatt and Nayanar Balikasadanam in Charity sector, UL Disaster Management and Rescue team for supporting government during emergency time.
The World Cooperative Monitor is a project designed to collect robust economic, organizational, and social data about cooperatives worldwide. It is the only report of its kind collecting annual quantitative data on the global cooperative movement. 2022 marks the eleventh edition of this annual research report produced by the ICA with the scientific and technical support of the European Research Institute on Cooperative and Social Enterprises (Euricse).