Argentinian co-operators celebrated Workers’ Day on 1 May by hosting a series of events across the country. Over 30,000 people from 20 Argentinian provinces took place in the celebrations, which included 25 events that ran simultaneously across the country.
The celebration focused on the theme - “We recover jobs, out dignity and a project for the country”. The events were organised by the National Confederation of Worker Cooperatives (CNCT), with support from the National Committee on Social and Solidarity Economy, which includes co-operative confederations, mutual and small and medium enterprises. The main event took place in Ezeiza, Buenos Aires, and gathered over 5,000 people. It included a musical performance and children activities.
Speaking at the event, Christian Miño, President of CNCT, said: “We support a model of inclusion, which is a model that defines us.
“Integration is a challenge, it is a path that we need to choose to strengthen worker co-operatives and social economy in its totality.”
Mr Miño took the opportunity to ask officials to sign a document that guaranteed the hotel Bauen, which has self-managed itself for 11 years, was not returning to the old owners.
Also present at the event, Ariel Guarco, president of Cooperar, the national apex organisation for co-operatives, said: “Co-operatives will continue to compete for power and market space. If we organise ourselves we have a lot of potential. This is a day of celebration, we have to be proud to be part of this movement”.
Patricio Griffin, the president of INAES, the National Institute of Association and Social Economy, who also took part in the celebrations, said that wealth creation and distribution had to be as equitable as possible, and that co-operatives had managed to do this in recent years.
Although she was not present at the main event in Ezeiza, Alicia Kirchner, the minister of Social Development, addressed participants through a teleconference. She said: “For me the Co-operative Movement’s commitment is something to be proud of, it’s important to understand which is the work that generates most wealth.”
In all 25 regions where celebratory events took place co-operators read a document that called for “fighting against concentrated capital, forming sectorial networks, popular markets and chains of production to intervene each time more and better in the market, laying the basis for another economy”.
Photo: (Left to right) Christinam Miño of CNCT, Carlos Castagneto, Secretary of Coordinacion and Institutional Ministery of Social Development of the Nation and Patricio Griffin of INAES and Ariel Guarco of Cooperar.
