Trade Union Forum in Sofia

2nd-3rd October 2009

At the beginning of October 2009 (2nd-3rd October) there was a trade union forum organised by the Bulgarian Teachers’ Trade Union (SEB) in cooperation with the French Trade Union of Secondary School Teachers (SNES).

The conference was devoted to teachers’ working conditions in the Central and Eastern European countries, and in particular to trade union actions undertaken at national and European levels in the face of the economic crisis. The conference was attended by many trade union representatives from the Central and Eastern European countries, i.e. from Bułgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia and Ukraine. In the conference partipated representatives of the ETUCE top management, namely its General Secretary, Martin Rømer and its Vice-Presidents, Kounka Damianova and Odile Cordelier. Among participants there were also representatives of the Bulgarian Ministry of National Education, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Labour and Social Policy. Within the pleneary session the floor was taken by trade union representatives from Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Latvia, Serbia, Macedonia and Poland, who prepared presentations on the situation in their countries, problems they have been facing, achievements and actions undertaken in order to mitigate the effects of the economic crisis particularly discernible in the sector of education. The speech was also delivered by Martin Romer, who discussed the EU policy in terms of working conditions.

The conclusions drawn from numerous debates and presentations made by individual countries served as the basis for working out a statement of the Central and Eastern European countries with regard to trade union policy in the context of the economic crisis. The statement will be available shortly on the ZNP’s website.

We encourage you to look at the ZNP’s presentation prepared in English regarding the ZNP’s actions in the face of the economic crisis.

The ZNP was represented by its Vice-President, Krzysztof Baszczyński and Joanna Siecińska, interpreter.