Promoting Cooperatives: A Guide to ILO Recommendation 193

Abstract

In 2002, the International Labour Conference adopted a new 'Recommendation' - an international policy guideline, which provides a framework for co-operatives for the 21st century. In the 1980s and 1990s, the quest for economic progress often failed to recognise the potential of co-operatives. Instead they were often portrayed as models from a previous era that had 'served their time'. Now the extraordinary power of the simple idea of co-operatives - democratically owned and controlled enterprises, serving their members' needs, rooted in their communities - is again proviftg popular, as co-operatives demonstrate themselves to be 21st century businesses. This publication is a guide for those who want to know more about the ILO Recommendation, and how it provides a basis for law and policies on co-operatives. But it also shows how and why we need to campaign for co-operatives. The publication is designed for use anywhere in the world. We have tried to keep it as simple as possible. We hope it will be translated into other languages, and we welcome proposals for translation, and any suggestions for improvements in future editions. We have used the UK convention of spelling co-operative with a hyphen. I would like to thank Mervyn Wilson, Chief Executive and Principal of the Co-operative College, lain MacDonald and Jan-Eirik Imbsen of the International Co-operative Alliance and Jurgen Schwettmann, Chief of the ILO Co-operatives Branch, for their comments on earlier drafts of the guide. Gillian Lonergan, of the Co-operative College, has done a brilliant job editing the text. None of them are responsible for any errors, which are mine alone