“CNSM continues to firmly accomplish its mission to protect trade union members”

“Even if society is going through an extremely difficult period, the CNSM continues to accomplish its mission to protect trade union members,” said the president of CNSM, Oleg Budza, in his report on the activity of the CNSM Confederal Committee after the IIIrd Congress of the National Trade Union Confederation of Moldova, presented within the first session of the CNSM General Council held today, November 30.

To confirm his statement, Oleg Budza noted that the social-economic protection of trade union members became the main pillar of the CNSM’s activity. He pointed out that the trade union advocates the application of EU standards and directives, but at the same time, the Confederation is concerned not to affect the welfare of the country’s population. In this respect, the CNSM always insists on the professional training of the labour force, supports the Government’s initiative to subsidize the creation of new jobs, has requested to observe the procedure of dismissing the employees and ensuring all their rights and guarantees of labour in the process of reform of central public administration.

One of the most important tasks for trade unions, mentioned the president of CNSM, is the adequate remuneration of labour. Although the implementation of the minimum guaranteed amount in some economic units, institutions are difficult, the trade unions have been able to achieve salary increases in the budgetary sector. Teachers’ wages were increased on September 1, by 11.3 percent. The Concept on the unitary payroll system in the budgetary sector was elaborated and the social dialogue partners assured that the respective draft Law will be elaborated next year.

An important tool for ensuring a suitable level of social protection for employees, widely applied and whose effectiveness has been demonstrated by the international practice of trade unions, emphasized Oleg Budza, is the collective labour contract at the level of unity. Unfortunately, he found, the state of affairs in this regard in Moldova is alarming. Although around 6600 primary trade unions are active in the country, collective agreements are currently concluded in almost 4500 units. Many of these documents have a formal character. Therefore, the president of the CNSM proposed that an awareness campaign on the importance of the collective labour contract be held next year.

Oleg Budza warned that a tough attack against trade union rights has been launched in recent years. As a proof, he invoked the amendments to the Labour Code of the Republic of Moldova in September, which favours the business environment, but ignores the positive practice of working with the social partners. But the most important, at the moment, warned the president of CNSM, is not to admit the adoption of a new Labour Code of the Republic of Moldova.

In the view of Oleg Budza, occupational safety and health is the area where the prodigious activity of CNSM is manifested during the last 5 years. He commented on the work of trade unions in this context and noted that the trade union structures in the territory become more actively involved in strengthening health and safety at workplace. Despite the fact that many measures are being taken in this respect, the president of CNSM highlighted, required that efforts should be supplemented to prevent serious accidents at work, such as that of the Pascani mine, which occurred not long ago, which resulted in the death of three workers.

Particular attention in the period after the third Congress was given to institutional strengthening and development. In order to achieve this goal, several meetings of the CNSM Confederal Committee, workshops, roundtables and other activities, aimed at making trade union work more efficient, were organized. They insisted on the need to make social dialogue and social partnership more effective at all levels, organizational strengthening through trade union unification, representativeness within the Confederal Committee, motivation and recruitment in trade unions, increasing the credibility and improvement of the trade union image, and creating a staff reserve.

At the second Congress, Oleg Budza stressed, Moldovan trade unions declared that they support the European integration of the country because it corresponds to the national interest, it is a unique chance to ensure the freedom and prosperity of all the citizens of our country. Thus, this vector has become one of the main targets of the evolution of international relations developed by the CNSM. As an appreciation, Peter Michalko, the current head of the EU delegation in Chisinau, said at a recent meeting with the CNSM leadership that Moldovan trade unions are a very important social partner.

CNSM president pointed out that the international relations had a healthy dynamics, especially after the signing of the Moldova-EU Association Agreement, which led to the intensification of contacts with foreign partners, the implementation of the experience of colleagues from abroad and the credibility of the CNSM internationally.

Department of mass media and international relations