Since cooperative promote decent work in all sectors of the economy, the theme of the International Day of Cooperatives 2019 is COOPS 4 DECENT WORK. Co-ops across the globe celebrate July 6 as the international day of cooperatives.
“Cooperatives help to preserve employment and promote decent work in all sectors of the economy. Through participation, members have a motivation to change their lives, their communities and the world,” Ariel Guarco, President of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), has said.
“We are shouting out the message that cooperatives are people-centred enterprises characterized by democratic control that prioritize human development and social justice within the workplace”, read a press release from ICA.
“On 6 July 2019, join us as we celebrate a future in which human development and social justice are priorities. Through #CoopsDay, local, national and global policymakers, civil-society organisations and the public in general can learn how cooperatives contribute to a decent working environment”, reads the presser.
Cooperative employment is far from a marginal phenomenon. According to a recent estimate, cooperatives around the world employ or are the main source of income for more than 279 million people—almost 10% of humanity’s total working population, ICA claims.
Beyond these numbers, different studies have confirmed that, by comparison with employment in other sectors, cooperative jobs tend to be more sustainable over time, show a smaller gap in earnings between higher and lower-paid positions, and are more evenly distributed between rural and urban areas, it asserts.
Given today’s widening inequality, increased job insecurity and high unemployment levels, particularly among youth, the 2019 #Coopsday theme was chosen to support Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8 “Inclusive development and decent work”, read the press release.
The series of interviews conducted in ten different countries around the world reveal that cooperatives are values-driven enterprises, run by members and offer a family-type environment and a strong sense of identity,” claimed the ICA release.
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) is celebrating its centenary this year with a special focus on the future of work. In this context, the ILO and ICA will co-organize the conference, Cooperatives and the Future of Work, on Monday 24 June 2019, just after the 108th Session of the International Labour Conference.