8 November, 2010IMF affiliates from South-East Europe commit themselves to working on setting new paths for capacity building for the defense of workers' rights.
BULGARIA: Union leaders from IMF affiliates in South-East Europe gathered on November 2 to 4, 2010 in Sofia, Bulgaria for the sub-regional meeting that was organized jointly with the European Metalworkers' Federation for the first time. The meeting benefitted from the support of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation.
Issues on the agenda included, among other things, union-building, trade union networks in transnational corporations (TNCs) and precarious work. In July this year the IMF joined a multi-union project on organizational development in South-East Europe aimed at strengthening union structures, and promoting regional sectoral cooperation and training. The participants welcomed this project and committed themselves to participating actively in its implementation. They also expressed their support for the IMF's policy on trade union networks. Special emphasis was put on the need to extend into the supply chain as there are many suppliers and subcontractors of TNCs operating in the region.
IMF General Secretary Jyrki Raina presented the project of creating a new global industrial federation. The union leaders concurred that the unification process taking place both at international and European levels was critical for strengthening union power in a global economy and remarked that it would also be instrumental in promoting union unity at national level.
South-East Europe continues to suffer from the dramatic effects of the crisis and there is a lack of effective industrial policy to support domestic manufacturing and sustainable development. As a result of restructuring and privatization, precarious work is growing fast, often in the informal economy, and workers' rights are being eroded. But unions are mobilizing against deregulation policies and labour law reforms, and they have shown that jobs can be safeguarded through collective action. A case in point presented at the meeting is that of the Trade Union of Industry, Energy and Mining (SIER) in Macedonia that succeeded in saving over 200 jobs at Feni Industries, the largest ferro-nickel producer in the country, thus ensuring a future for workers.
As in many other countries, the reform of pension systems is on the top of the political agenda in the region. In Bulgaria, Parliament just adopted an amended reform plan, after an agreement had been reached with the trade unions. An initial version of the plan had been withdrawn by the Prime Minister following strong union protests against a reform bill that had been prepared without proper involvement of trade unions.
The participants also discussed preparation of the EMF Congress that will be held June 2011 in Germany. The IMF and the EMF will continue to cooperate closely and join forces in support of fundamental workers' rights and union development in the region.