Around 100 co-operative practitioners and researchers from across the world met in Antalya for the conference ‘Co-operatives and the World of Work’ where they discussed how co-ops can contribute to the future of work. The international research conference on co-operatives and the world of work was organised by the International Labour Organisation jointly with the International Co-operative Alliance.
Speaking at a research conference in Antalya, Numan Ozcan, country director of the International Labour Organization’s office for Turkey, highlighted the significant contribution of co-operatives to the creation of decent work. According to Mr Ozcan, co-operatives are important to the ILO’s mandate both as enterprises and organisations. “When we talk of decent work at the ILO we mean rights at work, employment opportunities (not only more jobs, but also jobs with better terms and conditions), enhancing social protection and strengthening social dialogue on work-related issues,” he said.
Co-operatives comprise the largest and strongest pillar of the social economy in Turkey, with a total membership of 8.1 million people, organised in more than 84,000 co-operatives, functioning in 25 different sectors. “We believe, with their strong potential in creation of decent jobs particularly for women and democratic management structure, co-operatives can be an important player in the world of work. In this respect, their role in strengthening gender equality and empowerment of women is of crucial importance in Turkey.”
The Alliance and the ILO have also recently signed a new partnership agreement at the end of June this year that aims to contribute to sustainable development by promoting the role of co-operative enterprises in the context of the post-2015 development agenda. The collaboration will continue, confirmed Mr Ozcan. Also a keynote speaker at the conference, Jurgen Schwettmann, former Director of the Department of Partnerships and Field Support of the ILO, presented a paper on the potential role of co-operatives in the future of work. Mr Schwettmann, who has spent 27 years with the ILO in nine different roles before retiring in September 2015, pointed towards the main barriers to the future of work, including population growth, ageing, urbanisation, automation, inequality or climate change. He argued that co-operatives could play a significant role in facilitating the transition towards a post-growth economy and society.
The research shows how co-ops can respond to globalisation through social economy initiatives of local producers and consumers and fair trade. They can provide the framework for informal economy organisations and mutual assistance groups. Consumer and service co-operatives provide services for the urban population, responding to urbanisation. Health and social co-operatives can fill in a gap in the provision of services for the elderly, said Mr Schwettmann.
