Role of members

Conscious and efficient participation

In setting up a cooperative, the interested parties must have a clear objective. Members must be fully aware of their role as owners and users of a society. Organized into committees, councils, centers or commissions, cooperatives seek to provide the best possible support to those who have been granted the responsibility of running a business, so that all decisions made are correct, representing the will of the majority.

Rights of members

• to vote and to be voted;
• to participate in all operations of the cooperative;
• to receive a proportional share of the surplus funds at the end of each fiscal year;
• to examine books and documents;
• to call an assembly, when deemed necessary;
• to request clarifications from Fiscal and Administrative Councils;
• to give and defend points of view;
• to propose measures deemed of interest to the cooperative to the Administrative Council or to the General Assembly.

Obligations of members

• to work with the cooperative;
• to participate in all General Assemblies;
• to pay their dues on time;
• to comply with all General Assembly decisions;
• to vote in cooperative elections;
• to meet all commitments with the cooperative;
• to care for the image of the cooperative;
• to assume their share of losses, when they occur, and the expenses of the cooperative.

Whenever an objective becomes incompatible in a cooperative, the following may take place:

• Withdrawal: members freely request, in writing, their withdrawal from the cooperative which cannot not be denied by the administrative council, as long as said member(s) are on time with their obligations;
• Elimination: shall always be decided and approved by the Administrative Council, to verify non-compliance with legislation, or cooperative bylaws or norms. The reasons for said elimination must be duly registered in the membership roster;
• Exclusion: due to the dissolution of a private entity, death of an individual, civil incapability, or non-compliance with the cooperative's acceptance or membership requirements.

Members of a cooperative must understand the difference between cooperative enterprises and commercial businesses:

Cooperative enterprises	Commercial businesses
simple society, governed by specific legislation; number of members limited to service provision capacity; democratic control: one member, one vote; aim to provide services; the quorum of an assembly is based on the number of members; the transfer of quota-shares to third parties is not permitted; results are shared proportionally to the amount of the operations.	capital society - shares; limited number of partners; one share - one vote; aim at profit; the quorum of an assembly is based on the capital; the transfer and sale of shares to third parties is permitted; dividends are proportional to the total value of shares.