The cooperative movement has approved a formal commitment towards the promotion of a decent working environment and zero tolerance for any form of harassment. The fact that a global actor like the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) commits itself against harassment is a milestone for the international community.
The Declaration on Decent Work and Against Harassment was approved unanimously by the members of the ICA in the context of the last General Assembly held on 21 October in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The text emphasises that the cooperative movement endorses the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Promotion of Cooperatives Recommendation (2002) and the United Nations (UN) Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development (2015) and recalls that the commitments included in the declaration align with the cooperative values and principles stated in the Statement of the Cooperative Identity.
“We are one of the first international organisations saying formally and strongly that a decent working environment is fundamental in our society and that there is no room for any form of harassment in our organisations”, says the President of the ICA, Ariel Guarco.
In the declaration, the International Co-operative Alliance commits itself to “respect, promote and act diligently to support the fundamental tenets of decent work.