CNSM conducted Congress III

Trade unionists from all over the country, social partners and representatives of international trade unions met today, June 7, at the third Congress of the National Confederation of Trade Unions of Moldova (CNSM), marking 10 years since its establishment. The congress is the supreme governing body of the CNSM and convenes once every five years.

Over 200 people – delegates, representatives of territorial trade union structures and social partners, invited unionists, participated in the Congress. Representatives of the International Labor Organization, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) based in Brussels, General Confederation of Trade Unions (VKP) based in Moscow were present at the event – structures where the CNSM is a full member, as well as national trade union centers from Austria, Greece, Latvia, Romania, Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan, and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).

Congress delegates and guests discussed the socio-economic situation in the country, made an assessment of the leadership activity of the past five years, and set out the strategic directions for the development of the trade union movement in Moldova for the years 2017-2022.

At the same time, the new management of the CNSM was elected. By unanimity of votes, the president was reelected Oleg Budza, vice-presidents – Mihail Hîncu, Sergiu Sainciuc and Petru Chiriac, and in the position of confederal secretary was elected Rodica Popescu, who currently holds the position of head of the media and international relations department within the CNSM.

As mentioned by Oleg Budza, president of CNSM, over the last five years, despite the political instability in the country, the unions have kept the balance in society in their relations with the authorities, maintaining their firm position, making appeals, statements, submitting claims and taking concrete actions in relation to the social partners at national level in order to identify solutions for strengthening social policies, “Budza said.

The main objective of the CNSM was and is to increase the salaries of employees, which are the main source of income for the population. In this context, the trade unionists have constantly called on the social partners to increase the minimum wage guarantees and, above all, the country’s minimum wage.

Thus, in 2014, following the negotiations with the social partners, the country’s minimum wage was increased from 600 lei to 1000 lei. Regrettably, it was not possible to get the minimum wage at the level of the minimum subsistence value, which currently accounts only 52 percent of the minimum subsistence level of the working-age population.

At the same time, the guaranteed minimum wage in the real sector was increased from 1300 lei in 2012 to 2 380 lei in 2017. Statistical data reveals that salaries of employees during the years 2012-2016 increase in average by 1.5 times.

Political instability, financial and banking crisis of 2015-2016 have stopped negotiations on wage increases in the budgetary sector, although trade unions have permanently approached the issue at all levels. “We will continue to opt for a single payroll system in the budgetary sphere. It must be transparent, stimulate employees, and contribute to attracting and employing young people. The reform, however, needs to be carried out in parallel with the diminution of the informal economy, which has reached more than worrying quotas, “the CNSM president said.

According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, about 1/3 of the employed population has an informal job. “As long as wages are below the minimum of existence, informal labor will continue to exist, the immediate needs of citizens being much more important than future security,” said Oleg Budza.

In order to raise the level of welfare of their employees and their families, CNSM repeatedly insisted on the adoption of a new mechanism for indexing the incomes of the population in dependence on the increase of the consumer price indices and the level of the purchasing power of the population and the reduction of the tax burden for the categories of employees with low incomes. Thus, from 2012 to 2017, the rates of taxable income grids, annual personal exemptions were gradually increased by about 20 percent. In 2017, the indexation was only 5%.

If so far trade unions have managed to resist by not accepting violation of rights and interests of the employees, the elaboration of a new Labor Code or the improvement of the existing one, as demanded by the country’s business environment, jeopardizes the future of unions.

It will be necessary for trade unions to oppose resistance at all levels. Our main objective in this chapter was and remains to improve the labor legislation, without diminishing the existing rights and guarantees of the employees”, emphasized the CNSM leader.

Safety and health at work has become a priority for the CNSM lately. In the four years since its inception, the Labor Inspectorate of the Trade Unions has demonstrated its capabilities, role and importance in improving workplace health and safety. The active inclusion of labor inspectors of trade unions in the process of assessing and preventing occupational hazards at the workplace has contributed to a marked reduction in the number of work-related accidents with serious or fatal consequences. Thus, the cause of work-related accidents on the employee’s shoulders diminished from 70% to 30%.

At the same time, the CNSM has insisted on restoring the rights and attributions of the supervisory and control bodies in charge of observing the labor legislation, according to the international standards to which the Republic of Moldova is part.

For the next five years, the CNSM aims to advocate social partnership, promotion of social justice, work dignity and the implementation of decent work principles in the Republic of Moldova.

The five strategic objectives of the Confederation for the years 2017-2022 include: improving the living and working conditions of trade union members, fair wages, related to performance; increasing the effectiveness of social security for all trade union members; strengthening the real social dialogue leading to the resolution of workers’ problems and the representation of its members in all tripartite and bipartite partnership structures.

Trade unionists also want to create greater opportunities for employees, to provide decent work and decent incomes, as well as the development of a representative and strong trade union movement.

Delegates of Congress III also adopted a Declaration, which notes with concern that the social and economic situation of trade union employees remains difficult, characterized by a very low level of social and economic security, a steady decrease in the purchasing power of wages, a sub-occupation of the labor force with a very high level of informal employment and migration of labor abroad. In this context, the trade unionists call on the social partners to start discussions and negotiations to fully meet the requirements of trade union employees, which would ensure decent work and living in the country.

More pictures here.