ILC89 - Report V (1) Promotion of cooperatives

["Vic Thorpe" <just.solutions@pandora.be>]

The ILO has just completed its annual Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, at
which it discussed the first report of a new recommendation on the
'Promotion of Cooperatives'.  This Recommendation, if adopted at next year's
Conference, will expand the definition of 'cooperatives' to cover virtually
any worker or consumer - owned undertaking and, even more importantly, will
view such firms in a general economic context that includes industrialised
as well as developing or transitional economies.  The existing ILO
convention (Convention No. 127) on Cooperatives, views them simply as an
option for small-scale use in rural and developing country scenarios.

It is important to gain some understanding among national trade unions
during the next year of the implications of bolstering a good series of
Recommendations on cooperatives as an element in the fight-back against
finance-driven economic globalisation.  The ILO report (link appended below)
does situate the discussion firmly within the globalisation debate and calls
for governments to assist cooperative development by encouraging financing
and other incentives.

If we can make approaches to national labour federations and confederations
on this issue it could help promote a higher level of discussion than has so
far been the case.


 Vic Thorpe
 http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/relm/ilc/ilc89/rep-v-1.htm

Attachment: ILC89 - Report V (1) Promotion of cooperatives.url
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