On 28 September, CICOPA, the International Organisation of Industrial and Service Cooperatives in close collaboration with the recently established network of CICOPA Asia-Pacific held a webinar on “Worker cooperatives and trade unions: Exploring relations in the Asia-Pacific region”.

Ms. Diana Dovgan, Secretary General of CICOPA, highlighted the labour relations in worker cooperatives – that of a worker member, also known as worker-ownership. CICOPA members from India, Japan, Australia and the Philippines shared their experiences of collaboration between worker cooperatives and trade unions to protect the rights of workers, particularly those in vulnerable situations, and to empower them.  The webinar emphasized that even though the relations between worker cooperatives and trade unions differ in each country and region of the world, they share common historical roots and a common ground of values and objectives to promote the workers’ rights, decent living standards, and democracy at work.

Ms. Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), who was the special guest at the webinar noted that she sees many opportunities for collaboration to advocate for a new social contract where cooperatives are providing an important example in the fight for secure jobs, just wages, and universal social protection. The full article can be read here.

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