EMPLOYEE
OWNERSHIP AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
1. DECLARATION:
EMPLOYEE SHARE OWNERSHIP ASKS FOR ITS PLACE IN THE SOCIAL ECONOMY
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
European employee share ownership wants to be recognized as
a part of the social economy, together with co-operatives, mutuals,
associations and foundations.
The development of employee ownership is a trend of major importance
in the current world social context.
Employee owners, as neither just employees nor just shareholders
but co-entrepreneurs, are closely related to workers’ co-operatives.
Therefore, EFES (the European Federation of Employee Share Ownership)
and CECOP (European Confederation of Workers’ Co-operatives,
Social Co-operatives and Participative Enterprises) are partners:
EFES asks for its place within the social economy, beside CECOP.
In its mission statement, EFES
states "employee ownership and participation make a significant
contribution to economic and social progress. They combine excellence
in labour productivity and business performance with a broad,
constructive social contribution". From the start, employee
ownership highlighted its specificity: indeed, its primary concern
is neither patrimonial, nor financial, but rather sustainable
development and participation in decision-making in the company.
Employee ownership gives enterprises roots and balance. Together
with other forms of participation, it leads to better work and
more efficiency. "EFES will promote wide-spread wealth,
business excellence and humanity (in the workplace and in it’s
environment) to go hand in hand."
EFES is therefore an open organisation - gathering, among its
members, several important Trade Unions.
Employee ownership and participation proceed from, but also
contribute to corporate social responsibility and sustainable
development.
Today, being a company's main shareholder requires but a little
percentage of the shareholding. In other cases 5 or 10 % of
the shares must be gained for employee shareholders to consider
themselves as co-entrepreneurs and access to decision-making.
Whenever the rate reaches over 25 to 30%, it is almost always
a situation of co-enterprise.
Employee ownership is also likely to bring a substantial contribution
to economic and social development and to employment in Europe.
Generally speaking employee ownership and participation improves
growth, adding up to 1% to the national product, on an annual
basis. At European scale, this is potentially millions of new
jobs.Europe wide, collective social responsibility should see
employee ownership as a major element in the European strategy
for employment.
For all those reasons, we feel that employee ownership must
be integrated as a part of the social economy and its objectives
in terms of sustainable development, social integration and
cohesion.
Marc Mathieu, May 10th, 2002.
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