Co-operatives Play a Major Role in Northern Syria

This report was first published on Hawar News, 22 October, 2018. It has been edited here to increase clarification and readability.

AL_HASAKAH

The co-operative societies are considered basic to the community economy. In order to flourish the social economy, the members of the society start to participate in co-operative societies. After participating in the association [joining the co-operative], everyone works in this association and shares the results of the production equally among them, which contributes to enhancing the work ethic, and promotes social communication among individuals in a participatory and democratic spirit.

Many countries in the world rely on co-operative societies.

After the Democratic Autonomous Administration was able to establish a democratic way of life in Northern Syria, they introduced the socio-economic model of co-operative societies. As the revolution has developed, people have begun to form co-operatives. Hundreds of co-operatives are now operating in the area. One of the areas where many co-operatives have spread is in Serêkaniyê city, where residents began forming co-operatives in 2014.

“The purpose of establishing co-operative societies is to promote social life and to promote community economic development,” said a representative named Bozan. “We hold regular meetings for people to talk about the nature of co-operative societies and their role, and we provide material and moral assistance to the people. We promote their projects to interested people.

“In co-operative societies everybody works”

On the importance of co-operatives, Bozan said, “Production in an individual economy is a personal production and not of society, and those who work in production are not employees, but slaves. While within the system of co-operative societies, everyone works and respects the value of labour.

According to Bozan, there are 15 co-operatives in Serêkaniyê, including al-Farn Association and Hevgirtin, which confirm the decline in the organisation of co-operative societies in recent times. “The people are not yet accustomed to the system of co-operative societies. They have become accustomed to the individual market for many years. Co-operative societies, he said, “Are necessary to train  the people on this subject, to realise the importance of the system of co-operative societies.”

(T/S)

ANHA