Next September 15 is the International Day of Democracy and, for this reason, coinciding with the International Year of Cooperatives, we dedicate the month of September to the democratic values of our organizations.
Next September 15 is the International Day of Democracy, a system that is based on the values of equality, justice and freedom. Therefore, this September of the International Year of Cooperatives we want to highlight how from cooperativism we promote democratic values in our organizations.
First of all, from the cooperative model we understand that without social justice there will be no freedom or equality, which is why we promote social transformation to improve the lives and well-being of people, as well as achieve more just, equitable, egalitarian and cohesive societies.
Equal opportunities
We promote this social transformation from within our organizations. For this reason, at Suara we have different plans and protocols that allow us to guarantee equality among workers. In this context, we have the Gender Equality Plan, the Protocol against violence against women, the Protocol against LGTBIphobic aggressions, while once again we have renewed the Diversity Charter, which promotes the inclusive hiring of people in work environments.
Guaranteeing access to employment for diverse people is essential to changing realities. For this reason, from our cooperative we have created Suara Inserció where we hire people of diverse origins in situations of vulnerability for the laundry, cleaning and distribution services we offer for companies and institutions.
Democratic governance
On the other hand, cooperatives also have a democratic governance model where members are the ones who decide the future of their organizations. In the case of Suara Cooperativa, for example, we hold two Assemblies a year, where working members participate with equal rights, votes and voices in decision-making. Therefore, through voting, all members participate in decision-making on issues that affect the present and future of the cooperative.
The last Assembly, which took place on May 31 of this year, was attended by 96% of the 1,896 members summoned. Among other things, the consolidated accounts were approved and the new members who will form the Ethics Committee and the Resources Committee were elected.
