The International Day of Cooperatives is celebrated on the first Saturday of July all over the world and this date has a special meaning in the Basque Country, due to the great importance of the cooperative business network. It was the 100th edition of the event and this year the International Cooperative Alliance, which includes 312 organizations from 109 countries, chose the following title: 'Cooperatives build a better world'. In this regard, referring to the title of this year's edition, the commitment of cooperatives and their contribution to the development of the Basque Country were highlighted by Elena Pérez Barredo, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Security of the Basque Government, Patxi Olabarriak, President of the Supreme Council of Basque Cooperatives, and Rosa Lavín, President of the Confederation of Basque Cooperatives (KONFEKOOP).

In addition, a study was presented on the level of knowledge students of Basque universities have about cooperatives. Patxi Olabarria stated that cooperativism is completely in line with the theme chosen by the NKA this year, and explained why cooperatives build a better world. "The business model of cooperatives focuses on people, it is based on democratic, egalitarian and fair management, it promotes participation and creates quality employment; in other words, we are already showing this contribution that improves the community and the territory."

The President of the Supreme Council - the Supreme Council of Basque Cooperatives is a unique organization in the world, due to its public-private nature, and for the work it does to promote and spread co-operativeism - announced the latest results of the Basque youth studying in the three universities of the Basque Country (University of Mondragon, University of Deusto and EHU). research data. After verifying in a study last year that cooperatives have a high social acceptance, the Council wanted to focus on university students. "We wanted to know what they knew about cooperatives and, above all, what they look for in a company. The future of the country is in their hands, and it will be decisive what business model they support."

Enough knowledge

As the 555 surveys carried out in the study revealed, 74% of the people surveyed have sufficient knowledge about cooperatives. In fact, they are more popular than other legal figures, such as joint stock companies or limited companies. And almost 60% 4 have accepted that the model of cooperatives attracts a large part of future talent, and believes that Basque cooperativeism is a benchmark throughout the world.

The values ​​that the students of the universities of the Basque Country are looking for are completely in line with the cooperative values. In fact, when evaluating a job, they prioritize certain aspects, such as a good atmosphere, flexibility, reconciliation, lack of gender discrimination and professional development. Accordingly, the EKGK study concludes that cooperatives are considered more recommended than other companies to work for. As Olabarria emphasized, "At the Supreme Council of Basque Cooperatives we are very clear about our challenge: to inspire our young people and attract them to collective entrepreneurship, a different way of doing business, a company with values ​​and an ambition to transform society".

Belen Balerdi, general secretary of the Supreme Council of Basque Cooperatives; Patxi Olabarri, president of the Supreme Council of the Basque Cooperatives; Jokin Díaz, Director of Social Economy of the Basque Government; Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Security of the Basque Government, Elena Perez Barredo; and KONFEKOOP president, Rosa Lavín, were present at the presentation.

Address the youth

In this regard, the president of KONFEKOOP, Rosa Lavín, stated that the movement of Basque cooperatives wanted to speak to all young Basques, to remind them that the business model that is in line with these values ​​is the cooperative. "Working in a company that allows you to participate equally in decision-making, guarantees stable and quality employment, and is committed to the environment is not a utopia: it is a reality."

"If those companies have existed, they are cooperatives." Lavín emphasized the importance of the International Day of Cooperatives, as it is an opportunity to recognize the daily effort of the cooperatives "who are in favor of a flexible and egalitarian model". And as a result of this work, "cooperativeism is the driver of the economy and social development of our territories". To prove this, the president of KONFEKOOP gave some solid data. In general, there are 3 million cooperatives in the world, and they provide work or job opportunities to 10% of the employed population. "In other words, cooperativism is by no means an unimportant phenomenon."
As for the Basque Country, KONFEKOOP currently includes 1,400 cooperatives, 60,000 jobs and 1,450,000 members. "Therefore, the presence of cooperativism is common in all areas of Basque citizens' lives." The presidents of EKGK and KONFEKOOP have congratulated all the members of the business cooperative network, and have presented a video for this event that will be held at world level.