El pasado 14 de septiembre, la cooperativa de consumo más grande de Canadá, la Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC), realizó un comunicado de prensa en el cual anunciaba su restructuración, la venta de sus activos y la pérdida de su identidad cooperativa. El Consejo de Administración había tomado la decisión unánime de vender la cooperativa a Kingswood Capital Management. Sin embargo, esta decisión había sido tomada sin informar a los más de 5 millones de miembros de la MEC. Esto ha provocado una gran movilización en las redes sociales y en otros medios de comunicación por parte de los miembros que, como tales, son propietarios de la cooperativa. A continuación, puede consultarse una carta de Bruno Roelants, director general de la ACI, en la cual expresa su apoyo y solidaridad con todos los miembros de la MEC (disponible en inglés). Para más información sobre este tema o para proporcionar apoyo a los miembros del MEC, puede consultarse la siguiente información (Inglés y Francés).
To the Members-owners of the Mountain Equipment Co-operative
Vancouver
Canada
24 September 2020
Dear Members of the Mountain Equipment Co-operative,
We have been informed of the difficulties which your cooperative is encountering, and this has drawn all our attention and solidarity.
Mountain Equipment Co-operative (MEC) is one of the largest consumer cooperatives in Canada. Many of us, while visiting Canada, have been at the MEC and appreciated its extraordinary dynamism and quality. Like in any cooperative, the 5 million members and owners of the MEC need to exercise their democratic voice to shape the future of their cooperative. They need time to investigate the potential financial re-structuring that safeguards its cooperative identity and mission. It is fundamental that they exercise their rights in this critical juncture. Any decision regarding the sale and termination of the cooperative cannot be taken without the approval of the members’ assembly. Members should be able to exercise their rights to democratic member control (2nd cooperative principle) and ownership (member economic participation, 3rd cooperative principle) and seek a viable solution through cooperation among cooperatives (6th cooperative principle). As per the international definition enshrined in the ICA Statement on the Cooperative identity (1995) and in ILO Recommendation 193 (2002), cooperative members are not simply clients, but the co-owners of the cooperative enterprise that they control democratically.
Allowing the MEC to maintain its cooperative value and identity will be in the interest not only of its members-owners but also of the surrounding communities and of Canadian economy and society as a whole.
We are with you! We trust you will find the solution! Be strong!
In cooperation,
Bruno Roelants
