site.btaTrade Unions Alert International Institutions about Employers' Conduct

Sofia, July 26 (BTA) - The Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) and the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour have alerted all the international institutions about "the unprecedented aggression of the leaders of the nationally represented employer organizations against social dialogue and the labour force in Bulgaria", CITUB announced.

A letter calling for support and reaction has been addressed to the International Labour Organization, the International Trade Union Confederation, the European Trade Union Confederation, the European Commission, the European Economic and Social Council and the world business organizations of which Bulgarian employers are members. Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and Deputy Prime Minister Valeri Simeonov have also been sent copies of the letter.

The letter says: "In the last few days the Bulgarian public has witnessed the unprecedented aggression and cynical conduct of the leaders of the nationally represented employer organizations against one of the key values of European democracy - social partnership and social dialogue. At an official news conference, working people were called 'freeloaders, lazybones and criminals' (Vassil Velev of the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association and Bozhidar Danev of the Bulgarian Industrial Association). The trade unions were called 'harmful', 'obstructive to the country's economic development' and 'unsurprisingly, [they are] not to be found in many successful companies (Kiril Domouschiev of the Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria)."

The trade unions stress that such conduct erodes Bulgaria's image on the eve of its first stint at the EU Presidency and denigrates core European values and instruments of social peace, fans hostility and urges the companies and their managers to wage war on the trade unions and their chapters. "Intentionally or not, this conduct harms social peace, which is essential to a predictable economic and social environment for local and foreign investors and manufacturers. What is more, this by no means encourages qualified young Bulgarians to stay and work in their own country," CITUB President Plamen Dimitrov and Podkrepa's Dimiter Manolov said.

They recall that the role of the social partners and their responsibilities are enshrined in all EU documents from the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to numerous directives, opinions and recommendations of the Commission and the Council.

The Presidents of the two unions argue that such statements set a precedent which can torpedo social peace. They violate the Constitution of Bulgaria, documents of the ILO, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU and the EU treaties, and constitute an offence insofar as they call for undermining the foundations of European democracy and the State, which are guaranteed by the trade unions, among others.