ST. GEORGE’S, June 6, 2009 – Cabinet minister Glynis Roberts is advocating that Grenadians examine establishing cooperative enterprises as a possible viable economic option.

Hon. Roberts, Labour and Social Services Minister, as well as NDC MP for St. George South, told a group of women Saturday that they should look to cooperatives as one avenue for meeting the challenge of the global economic crisis that is impacting Grenada.

‘’Let us, as women, seriously explore opportunities for combining our efforts to create opportunities so that instead of the crisis working against us, it will work for us,’’ Mrs. Roberts said in the keynote address to the annual general meeting of the Grenada National Organisation of Women (GNOW).

Here’s the full text of the address delivered by Minister Roberts:

Sisters, we know the statistics: tens of thousands around the world have lost their jobs or – at this very moment – are worried sick that they’ll be the next lay-off victims of the current global economic crisis.

Just this past week in the United States, the once indomitable car-maker, General Motors, filed for bankruptcy as part of a company restructuring initiative.  In doing do, GM is having to close several of its car-making plants in the U.S. and Canada. The result is the loss of hundreds of jobs, many of them held by women.

The global crisis, specifically as it affects Grenada, has had a major negative impact on tourism and other service industries, where many of our women find employment.  Households headed by women, especially single women who depend on remittances from family and lived ones overseas, have also taken a major hit.  Those remittances are not coming with the frequency and in the amounts they previously did, as our Brothers and Sisters in North America and Europe struggle themselves to weather the economic storm.

But we are here today not just to talk about the crisis.  We are here to discuss possible solutions.  The theme of my address is: “Creating Opportunities – Making the Economic Crisis Work for Women.’’  In the remaining minutes of my remarks, I want to propose a few ideas.

I want to suggest, first of all, that for women who have been laid off or are finding it hard to land a job in their particular field of training, that they consider retraining.  Look at the labour market trend locally, regionally and internationally and examine the growing demands for certain kinds of workers, such as those in information technology, nursing and other areas of the health sector.  If at all possible, Sisters, retool and retrain.  Your skilled training and educational qualifications are mobile.  They allow you the opportunity to work in your own country, as well as overseas.  The world is your potential employer.

Secondly, we – collectively as women, from generation to generation – bring to this current global crisis, centuries of innovation, creativity, strength and resourcefulness in dealing with adversity.  Whether the adversity was economic, social or political, we survived it and you bet we are going to survive this one!

We are hoisted on the shoulders of our women who stood up, fought back and overcame slavery and colonialism; who scrimped and scraped and saved what little they had to provide an education for their children, when they themselves never had the privilege of going to school; women who stood up, fought back and overcame male chauvinist convention by being pioneers in running for elected political office and in establishing independent businesses of their own.

Today, we must take up the torch and consistently demonstrate innovation, creativity, strength and resourcefulness.  And while we must apply these qualities in our individual endeavours, in the family and in the workplace, we also must be mindful of the cliché: “In unity is strength.’’

Let us, as women, seriously explore opportunities for combining our efforts to create opportunities so that instead of the crisis working against us, it will work for us.  For example, there may be opportunities for several women who are independent operators in some industry to form cooperatives.  There are professional women among us – and some men too – who can assist cooperatives in developing business plans and seeking bank loans, as well as with marketing the cooperatives.

Look around your communities and identify services that are needed but are now lacking.  Perhaps it’s the need for childcare services, academic tutoring or some other service.  Maybe you don’t know where to start to get the project off the ground.  You feel it’s too much for you as an individual to take on. You feel that you do not have all that it takes to make the project a success.  Well, you do not have to possess all that it takes to have a go at the project.  All you need to do to start is to combine your talent and expertise with the talent and expertise of other persons.  Bring your project idea to GNOW.  I’m sure they’ll be willing to help.

So, Sisters, we must and we can create opportunities and make the current global crisis work for us.  They keys include retraining, working cooperatively and using our feminist strength and applying the gifts of innovation, creativity and resourcefulness.

I thank you and wish you all the best in your deliberations at this annual general meeting.  God bless you.

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