LABOUR Minister Dr Nanda Gopaul yesterday held a meeting in his office at Stabroek, Georgetown to launch the Interim Management Committee for the Guyana National Cooperative Union (GNCU), a body which has not been operating effectively.

In delivering remarks, the minister indicated that, under the Co-op Act, the Chief Operating Officer is empowered to appoint this committee.
He disclosed that, as Minister of Labour, he believes the cooperative movement needs to be revived for members’ benefit.
He explained that co-ops are expansive bodies with a lot of assets in terms of land, resources and finance; and many are into farming and other agricultural activities.
He explained that the GNCU is what is referred to as the parent body of all cooperatives in Guyana, and the hope is to have it resuscitated and working within the mandate given for the period ending July 31, 2013.
Dr Gopaul said he believes the Labour Ministry would be able to have the GNCU look at the structure of the cooperatives and the national cooperative movement, in order to embark on a membership campaign which allows the bringing together of all cooperatives into the body, and to help in advancing and promoting cooperative societies of all types. He said it will also help to resuscitate existing co-ops to prepare a strategic three-year plan to liaise with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
He noted that the United Nations has declared the year 2012 as the ‘International Year of Cooperatives’, and stated that the laws and rules of the cooperatives will also be looked at to see wherever co-ops can be brought in sync with today’s reality.
He said the laws were enacted a very long time ago, and some of their aspects may be a bit outdated.
According to Dr. Gopaul, the Labour Ministry wants to ensure that Guyana has a vibrant cooperative movement to ensure that persons are not deprived of their benefits which they are supposed to have as members.
Dr Gopaul added that many cooperatives are stagnant because people have migrated, and responsibility to manage has been left to very few persons, hence the failure had occurred.
Moreover, persons show no interest in being in co-ops, and there is inadequate supervision and shortage of staff at the ministry.
However, the minister said he is hoping to put staff in place in order to monitor the situation.
He said he has received complaints from a number of cooperative members over the running of several societies in the country, and that those societies are being investigated. He said the ministry is working fervently to ensure that all cooperatives are operating in keeping with their governing laws.
The members who were chosen to be part of this committee are Mr. Derrick Cummings as chairman, Ms Carol Angela Harding as treasurer, and Mr. Seepaul Narine as secretary. The other members of this committee are Ms Esther Persico, Mr. Darshan Shewcharran, Mr. Dianand Maraj Dindyal, Mr. Pradatt Basdeo, Ms Valerie Adam- Patterson, and Ms Ranai McAlmont.