New Normal

COVID-19 accelerated three trends that could persist to varying degrees after the pandemic with different implications for work. “First, hybrid remote work could continue: 20 to 25 percent of workers in advanced economies and about 10 percent in emerging economies could work from home three to five days a week, mainly in the computer-based office work arena. That is four to five times the level before the pandemic and may reduce demand for mass transit, restaurants, and retail in urban centres. Second, the growth in share of e-commerce and the “delivery economy,” which was two to five times faster in 2020 than before the pandemic, is likely to continue. This trend is disrupting jobs in travel and leisure and hastening the decline of low-wage jobs in brick-and-mortar stores and restaurants, while increasing jobs in distribution centres and last-mile delivery. Finally, companies have enlisted automation and AI to cope with COVID-19 disruptions and may accelerate adoption in the years ahead, putting more robots in manufacturing plants and warehouses and adding self-service customer kiosks and service robots in customer interaction arenas. These trends will likely affect work arenas and countries in varying ways and raise new questions for cities.” (mgi-the future of work after covid-19-report).  Workforce transitions may be larger in scale than we estimated before the pandemic, and the share of employment in low-wage job categories may decline. 

By 2030, 75 million to 375 million workers (3 to 14 percent of the global workforce) will need to switch occupational categories. Moreover, all workers will need to adapt, as their occupations evolve alongside increasingly capable machines. Some of that adaptation will require higher educational attainment, or spending more time on activities that require social and emotional skills, creativity, high-level cognitive capabilities and other skills relatively hard to automate.

Automation technologies including artificial intelligence and robotics will generate significant benefits for users, businesses, and economies, lifting productivity and economic growth. Even as it causes declines in some occupations, automation will change many more—60 percent of occupations have at least 30 percent of constituent work activities that could be automated.

We need a futuristic vision to meet the global projection for this decade.  But the overall scenario of workers/labour cooperative in India is not up to the mark. Basically, they don’t have the passion to accelerate the growth of the cooperative by doing their core business or to try new opportunities. Most of them require professionalism in management and adoption of technology to meet the global/local competition.

Successful Model

ULCCS was formed in 1925 by the disciples of eminent social reformer Sri Guru Vagbhatananda in a remote hamlet called Uralungal near Vatakara in Kozhikode District of Kerala, as a novel mass movement against the anarchies of the caste system prevalent in those days. It has grown today as a name synonymous with quality, workmanship, precision and efficiency in infrastructure projects. In 1924 one of the newspapers published an article regarding a notification of Malabar District Board under British rule inviting people to form cooperatives in the Malabar region. This encouraged 14 young people to form an organasation which gives equity and equality among them. Acknowledged as the best Labour Co-operative Society in India by Indian Co-operative Congress 2013, National Co-operative Federation of India and National Co-operative Development Corporation, ULCCS has redefined the role the working class can play in national development, while emerging as a global model to the labour cooperative movement. ULCCS became a permanent member of International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) – a non-governmental co-operative federation of Co-operatives and co-operative movement world-wide. It is accredited by the Government of Kerala and is one of the largest Workers Cooperative societies and ranked world No.2 by the World Cooperative Monitor (WCM) in the sectoral rankings consecutive 3rd year under Industry and Utilities Co-operatives category. It is an ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 certified organisation. 

ULCCS has become a much sought-after infrastructure partner for government and private clients because of its strict adherence to quality and timeliness. Very often, projects are completed ahead of schedule. ULCCS is blessed with a large pool of skilled and dedicated labour force. Workers and employees are extremely passionate about their work and create a unique work culture. In return, Workers and employees enjoy a variety of benefits that are comparable to a government job. Most importantly, ULCCS has a unique system of agile project management in which projects are reviewed closely by the management. Every evening, the Board of Directors meet to review the day’s progress and plan for the next day.