Any citizen of Republic of Moldova, also foreign citizens and stateless persons, legally residing on its territory, are entitled to constitute and to become members of trade unions, according to their articles of association, without previous authorization of the public authorities.

A trade union member may be the person with the statute of employee, who legally exercise an occupation or has a profession, except those forbidden by law to become trade union members.

The unemployed persons or those having no job, as well as, persons legally exercising an individual labour activity, may become member of a trade union or join a trade union in accordance with its articles of association or may keep their affiliation to the trade union of the enterprise, institution or organization they activated in.

The Moldovan citizens living abroad are entitled to become members of the trade unions existing in Moldova.

In order to join a trade union, the applicant should fill in and sign an application of affiliation to the said trade union.

By filling in the application, the applicant also gives his consent for the deduction, on the pay-roll, of the union fee. The trade union’s contribution rate is paid by the trade union’s member to the rate fixed by the Articles of Association of the trade union national-branch center.

The trade union is an organization created for protection of rights and promotion of professional, economic, social, cultural and sport interests of its members.

The trade unions are based on primary trade union organization, which is constituted according to the initiative of at least 3 persons, considered founders. The decision of constituting the primary trade union organization is adopted by the constitutive meeting.

The trade union is constituted voluntarily, on basis of common interests (profession, branch etc.) and usually activates at enterprises, institutions and organizations, regardless of the juridical form of organization and the type of property, the department or branch membership. The employer shall not impede the association of physical persons within the trade union.

The trade unions can associate in branch trade union centers or territorial inter-branch ones (at district level, autonomous territorial unit, municipality, city), as well as, in national-branch and national-inter-branch trade union centers, as federations, confederations.

The national-branch and national-inter-branch trade union centers can affiliate with federations, international confederations.

The trade union’s way of constitution, its organizational structure and functioning is subject to the trade union’s articles of association.

Details about the constitution and the articles of association of the trade union organization may be found in the LAW on trade unions No. 1129-XIV as of 07.07.2000. Art. 8,9.