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Overview
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After the democratic changes in the Central and East European countries in 1989 the first organizations that marked rapid change and became the main driving force of the process in Bulgaria were the Trade Unions. In the end of 1989 the Trade Unions existing up to that moment undertook radical reorganization in the direction of organizational and political independence, making the protection of employees’ interests their main objective. In February 1990 the Extraordinary Congress of the Bulgarian Trade Unions developed into a Constituent Congress of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) which managed to transform itself, strengthened its positions and won recognition as the biggest trade union organization in this country with special place and role in the social environment.
The Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria has its own policy with regard to the minority rights protection, social integration of the representatives of the ethnic minorities, which is a part of the common confederation policy.
The Labour Confederation of 'Podkrepa' was established before the changes as a semi-legal opposition organization. Its initial purpose was to protect employees’ civil rights and especially the rights of the Turkish minority. Nowadays the Confederation is the second largest trade union structure in the country. As early as the summer of 1989 it established ties of solidarity with international trade union organizations and head offices abroad.
Nowadays the trade union spectrum in Bulgaria is divided between these two Trade Unions recognised as representative at national level. Several small trade unions also exist but they are not recognised as representative at national level
Both Trade Unions are independent of the state and administrative bodies, employers, political parties, public and religious organizations and associations; their purposes and activities are directed to protection of the rights, dignity, professional and social interests of the members of the organizations within the Confederations, and above all, protection against national, ethnical or religious discrimination on grounds of racial belonging.
Trade Unions in Bulgaria stick to the values of democracy and market economy, which includes creation of real political, socio-economic and cultural preconditions for the full integration of the minority ethnic groups in society and at all levels of the labour market, as well as organization of modern industrial relations.
As regards the role of the trade unions in the overcoming discrimination and racism directed against the ethnic minorities and immigrants and their re-integration, it should be noted that trade union practices are the following:
At national level both CITUB and Podkrepa, being representative trade unions, play important role and can influence the regulating of labour and security policy relations, issues related to the standard of living, providing equality and protection of the rights in these spheres through active participation in national bodies built on a tripartite principle. The participation of the trade unions in these bodies makes it possible for them to influence the development and improvement of the social policy and practices even with respect to the representatives of the ethnic minorities and immigrants in the country as a part of the employees whose interests trade unions are to protect.
As members of the European Confederation of the Trade Unions (ECTU) and the International Confederation of the Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), CITUB and Podkrepa support and implement all activities of their policy on prevention and abolishing of discrimination in the labour process. Another important element in the policy of the trade unions against discrimination is their activity directed to the establishing and observing the basic labour standards of the International Labour Organization.
The 2004 Anti-Discrimination Law was recently adopted and highly evaluated
by
foreign experts working on antidiscriminatory issues.
