SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF WORKERS IN INDUSTRIAL COOPERATIVE
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Workers cooperative is an enterprise in which workers share in the profits and it is a business in which the workers retain a majority control of the enterprise control is exercised democratically on the basis of one person, one role, Membership is open as far as possible to all workers and there are limit on the return to capital invested in the enterprises.
Over the years, capital; has hired lab our and treated it like an expendable factors of production same as any other factor, capital has explored labour and subjected it to the imperialism of profit maximization capital has claimed all the authority and all met profit while disclaiming full liability for the debts of he enterprise incase of liquidation. But now, Worker want all that to change these days there was change, labour will live capital. A famous co-operative maxim says” Labour hires capital, in the new workers ownership capital will not be divided into equity share because if will be owned collectively.
Examples are producing durable goods and nourishing goods, additive free goods not highly processed snack adopting methods, of production devoid of polluting effects, refusal to produce war related material or to deal with government practicing, racial segregation. These workers industrial cooperatives have social objective as well as economic objectives.
They won’t out man at the centre of business, they place democratic control and the nature of the product before profitability. They employ technology that is friendly to the environment. As long as the enterprise can cover its costs and break even they fell free, to pursuer their social objectives. The capital assets of an industrial cooperative should be jealously guarded. It should maintain intact and progressively expanded and developed facilities. The aim should be to catch up with completing capitalist out lifts in terms of capital base. With drawing members should be required to leave their share capital behind. If members decided to dissolve their society, it should not be in order to share them asset. Both the lam should absolutely forbid the saving of the net assets among member upon dissolution. Net assets should rather be transferred to another workers in industrial co-operative.
Workers in industrial co-operative to ameliorate the hardship especially the poverty of the working people with a view to increase their social order that ensure the poorest members of the working class sufficient wellbeing for feature would be to expensive for the people to bearing for instance it could generate permanent cynical apathy to government and society programme and alienation of the very low income group in economic activity. The idea of workers co-operative is a step, in the right direction especially in the face of harsh economic realistic resulting from the structural Adjustment programme (SAP)> this study, will therefore identify the objective role, possible problems prospects associated with the workers co-operatives, suggest remedies to the problems and make recommendation with a view to reforming the worker co-operative into achieving their stated objectives,
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
The history of cooperative development in Anambra state may be traced from its origin in Nigeria. It was in the early 1930’s that the agricultural development agents began to organize cocoa farmers in westerns Nigeria into small co-operative organizations.
Efforts were made between those periods to establish a co-operative division. This before it could long. An enviable and viable co-operative division was established. The division was formally under the ministry of local government, but through several resettlements and changes of government. It finally came through the ministry of commerce and industries.
The estate inherited a total number of 685 co-operative societies from the former Eastern state with membership of 15,155. As a result of individual desires and government encouragement coupled with the interest benefits desirable from the formation of co-operatives in the state has increased atomically to 2,757 which also increased membership of 86,812.
Through, the number of co-operative societies in the state has drastically reduced since the creation of Abia state. It will be necessary to know that the benefit of workers co-operative since the topic is social and economics benefits of workers in industrial co-operative. Workers in industrial co-operative it involved workers share in the profits and it is a business in which the workers retain a majority control of the enterprise control is exercised democratically on the basis of one person one rote-Membership is open as far as possible to all workers there are limit in the return to capital invest in the enterprises.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Problem why industrial workers do not enjoy their desire economic and social benefits.
1) Lack of solidarity among themselves: They sometimes cling to their independence in fear of the consequences of risk or change.
2) Lack of self- confidence of risk change: The workers do not believe that they can provide and maintain jobs fro themselves. In companies with the rich factory or industries owners in that area.
3) Ignorance of management and the complexity of business administration: in some cases the workers of the industries lack management skill. In order to acquire this, they must either undergo management training or live qualified managers either temporarily or permanently.
4) Inequalities among the worker in financial capacity: In power, rank of remuneration etc. may lead to friction because the workers are assumed to be equally. In this process, cliques may develop to destroy the consensus.
5) The general low level of education, technical training among industrial workers.
1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
They work is designed to achieve the order listed objectives:
1) To find out the social and economic objectives of workers in industrial cooperatives of Inyaba co-operative farms ltd in Anambra state.
2) To find out the specific roles and activities performed by Inyaba co-operative farms since their inception
3) To identify the general problems militating against the smooth and orderly operation in Inyaba co-operative farms ltd
4) To know their prospects in the future having in mind the poor co-operative habit in Nigerian.
5) Finally to proffer recommendations that could be useful to the co-operative.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The research questions are:
a. Hoe many of the objective have been realized?
b. What are the efforts made by the various workers cooperative in Anambra state in educating the people about the immense benefit derived from workers in industrial cooperative?
c. What is the hindrance towards their effective performance in Nigeria?
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This research tends to reveal the need and usefulness of co-operative societies in the social and economic benefits of workers in industrial cooperative. Its job cannot be over looked. Since they play a prominent role in price stabilization of agricultural product In the state.
Moreover, they determine the quality and price of products that entire the market so that products will market their products effectively. By so doing, they minimize the excessiveness of middlemen. In most states today particularly Anambra state where self sufficiency in the production of agricultural products is embarked upon by almost every household including the government, hence comes the need for the research work to enable both the header and the government at large to recognize the enormous role of cooperative go a long way to alleviate the current problem of food storage in Anambra state.
1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
Undoubted the topic social and makes an interesting research work. However, its through analysis could be inhibited by some unavoidable various prominent among which is time contracts. The research was carried out in line with normal academic works which made a more vivid grass roots researches findings highly difficulty. Apart from the fact that lecture schedules made it difficult to conduct desk interview were granted, one still had to go through the frustration or frustrating bureaucratic arrangement of the workers in question. Another problem that inhabited the conduct of the research project was the willingness and reluctance of the official of the Inyaba farm to disclose vital information even those them who were kind to grand interview answered to some question with reservation, therefore preventing one from knowing facts and finding concerning the farm.
1.7 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
As already explain the prevision sub leading, farm was numerous. Though great efforts was made to lift. All these impediments. The problem encountered can be divided into natured and man- made. The formal include the problem of time, age harrier the distance and problem involve in availability of adequate funds and the partial lack of current records on the parts of the society.
However, time available was limited when compared with the amount of work to be embarked on. This then required that, more effort will be made squeeze a lot of study into the available time. The problem of distance of the society to our school cannot be eliminated or bribe. So our only option was to make sure that if we transport ourselves to the society we must then strive to achieve a lot before training lack to school.
Moreover. Interesting to know all these problems made this study more challenging were taking came of happily. These entire problems mere squarely met. A lot of people involved in the project appreciated these entire problem and did their almost to help.
1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS
INDUSTRIAL CO-OPERATIVE: this is a type of co-operative that result from the facts that over the years capita; has turned labour and has treated it till an expendable factor of production.
CAPITAL: This is any amount set aside for investment.
WORKERS CO-OPERATIVE: This can be defined as a business owned and controlled by the people who work in it.
SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC BENEFIT: These are returns or profit a progressive entity offers to the society as well as its members.
