Interview with President Livio Marchetti

Author: Rosanna Turcinovich Giuricin

Historical data is important. The Workers' Cooperatives of Trieste, Istria and Friuli were founded on 26 October 1903 in Trieste. At the end of the First World War, on 3 November 1918, the Workers' Cooperatives obtained permission to keep the Austrian law on cooperatives in force "until a corresponding Italian law is made". Between 1947 and 1954, Trieste, where all the TFI CoOp outlets were located (107 in total, including 14 butcher shops), was not part of the Italian State but formed the Free Territory of Trieste. The TFI Co-ops are mainly supplied by Istrian producers: the assignment of Trieste to Italy and Istria to Yugoslavia eliminates this possibility and reduces the catchment area by approximately 50%: the TFI Co-ops must give up direct production of goods. In 1957, the first self-service store in Italy opened, the "Supercoop", which in 1972 would be 22; computerized warehouse management with the IBM system was introduced. From 1977 to 1979, years in which inflation was in double digits, the Workers' Cooperatives blocked the prices of over 300 food products and inaugurated the first Italian "Discount" stores without a source. The rest is recent history that with its events enters everyday life, the Workers' Cooperatives are "a family affair" given the close relationship that most consumers have always maintained with this reality. “Even in times of crisis we eat” says the wise Julian and the Coops are a fundamental source of supply. I am a force, a power, a colossus with all eyes on you. The next elections are in December. And the campaign has already started. We discuss this with President Livio Marchetti. Mr. President, the birth of a Committee in defense of Workers' Cooperatives in Trieste has made news. How do you comment on this initiative by a group of citizens? “This is not a Committee in defense of the Workers' Cooperatives, it is an initiative of a group of members, highly politicized, who intend - by denigrating the system and the current management - to start a climb to the board of directors with unmotivated and unfounded criticisms. It is the Workers' Cooperatives that must defend themselves from such people, who have already caused no small amount of damage." Are there reasons why members should be concerned? “The members have no reason to worry, and not because I say so as president, but because the regional administration says so, which has carried out an extraordinary inspection lasting three months, and has confirmed the regularity of the balance sheets and of the complete management. The inspection report dates back to the beginning of August, and all the activities of the Workers' Cooperatives were analyzed". What topics were discussed during the recent meeting with the Mayor of Trieste, Roberto Cosolini? “The mayor of Trieste Cosolini reiterated the importance and role of the Workers' Cooperatives in Friuli Venezia Giulia: we employ over 700 people, and we support women's work, in conciliation with family commitments. From an economic-financial point of view, we guarantee the regional territory significant income and the development of local products". What is the role of the city in the future of the Workers' Cooperatives and vice versa if we consider that the Workers' Cooperatives are among the top 10 companies based in Trieste? “The current economic crisis makes the role of Workers' Cooperatives strategic both in terms of supporting convenient consumption and as an economic reality. We are working to start further investments: by the end of the year we will open a new, innovative sales point in Duino, followed by a further one in the Fiera area, again in Trieste. Investing means guaranteeing our customers increasingly competitive prices, because only by investing can we increase our turnover and thus create increasingly interesting offers for members”. What are the losses accumulated in recent years (we are talking about 22 million euros) attributable to? “The assets of the Workers' Cooperatives – the regional administration certifies – are absolutely intact and unchanged from 2008 to today. Those who speak of huge losses do not read or interpret our financial statements honestly, and make misleading accusations. The 2012 budget, like the previous ones, is in the black. We closed 2011 with a profit of over 2 million euros." What strategies for the future development of this important reality, what tools to support and develop social capital? “The social capital of the Workers' Cooperatives is safe, since it is mostly made up of investments in real estate. Only a separate portion is invested in financial instruments, and these are safe securities. We are not concerned about maintaining share capital. Our commitment today is to increase the number of members and customers, making ourselves increasingly competitive with our offers, so that the value of sales increases, despite the crisis". The company is made up of over 110.000 members, of which 80.000 are from Trieste who follow you. What guarantees for the transparency of the renewal of corporate bodies? “Our regulation for the renewal of corporate bodies was among the issues examined by the Region, which “promoted” it, if I may use a simple term. Once again, an external certification body has guaranteed that our renewal system is compliant with the regulations and works”. Croatia is expected to join the EU in July 2013. When the Workers' Cooperatives reach 120 years of life, is it conceivable that they will return to Istria? “The Workers’ Cooperatives have companies in both Slovenia and Croatia, in Koper and Rijeka respectively. We are monitoring the market, we are particularly active and attentive, because the desire to regain a strategic role in Istria must be supported by strategies, regulations and projects of great impact and value".