Strengthening social and economic protection of employees, the main objective of CNSM activity

The increase of the rights and guarantees of the employees, trade union members, the main milestones of the CNSM Strategy for the years 2017-2022, is the ultimate goal of all actions undertaken by the National Trade Union Confederation of Moldova during the period 2017-2018, declared on April 19, Oleg Budza, president of CNSM, during the CNSM General Council meeting.

By presenting information on trade union actions in order to protect the rights and social and economic interests of trade union members in accordance with the CNSM Strategy for 2017-2022, Oleg Budza emphasized that strengthening the social and economic protection of employees is the major objective of the CNSM activity. As a matter of priority, the president of the CNSM pointed out, the trade union efforts are channeled to protect the wages and incomes of the population.

In this context, he spoke about the involvement of the CNSM in the process of improving wage legislation in order to ensure an adequate and fair salary able to cover the needs of the workers, of the members of their families. Thus, although wage increases have been made both in the budgetary and real sectors, the inequality in the remuneration of the work of public workers continues to be confirmed. In order to eliminate this discrepancy, Oleg Budza noted, the Confederation insisted and obtained the approval of the Concept on the unitary pay system in the budgetary sector, which provides for the elaboration and adoption of the Law on the unitary pay system in the budgetary sector, and now insists that this legislative act to be voted on in the spring-summer session of the Moldovan Parliament, so that the Law will be implemented in the second semester of the year.

Similarly, protection of people’s wages and incomes was aimed at advancing the proposals to reduce the tax burden on employees by increasing tax rates and tax exemptions for individuals. Many of these were taken into account in the process of adopting a law at the end of the last year which led to the amendment of the Fiscal Code on the income tax and personal exemptions of individuals. At the same time, the CNSM continues to advocate the introduction of a tax scale for people with high incomes, equating the personal exemption with the minimum subsistence level.

Another important area, which is aimed at social and economic protection of employees, which the CNSM focused on, remarked Oleg Budza, concerned with the occupation and protection of the labour market, the fight against the informal economy. From this perspective, the Confederation promoted and protected the rights and interests of employees, trade union members, in accordance with the principles of decent work, legal provisions, including those contained in the statutes of the national-branch trade union centres.

At the same time, the president of the CNSM noted, tools for stimulating job creation, including for disadvantaged people on the labour market, were supported through the mechanisms of the social partnership. In this respect, the trade unions supported the decision of the Government of the Republic of Moldova, approving the Regulation on subsidizing the creation of workplaces. In addition, the trade unions participated in the elaboration of the National Action Plan for 2018 for the implementation of the National Employment Strategy for 2017-2021, which foresees the diversification of mechanisms to stimulate job creation, including for people with disabilities or who have passed the age of 45.

Remaining in this chapter, Oleg Budza added that the CNSM contributed to the promotion of the employees’ rights to benefit from the continuous professional training process at the workplace, the dual vocational education and the validation of non-formal vocational competences in order to increase their capacity to be flexible and secure on the labour market. Namely, in order to take advantage of these goals, the CNSM has elaborated and will propose to the social partners for negotiations a draft Collective Convention at national level regarding the model contract on continuous professional training.

The compliance of trade union rights and labour law is one of the main objectives of trade unions, Oleg Budza said. Therefore, it is important that the CNSM participate in the approval, elaboration of draft laws and other normative acts aimed at regulating the professional, labour, economic and social rights of the trade union members. On this occasion, he said that the CNSM Confederal Committee has drafted several draft laws aimed at improving the Labour Code of the Republic of Moldova, which set a 10-day deadline for the conciliation of the parties to the collective conflict regarding the establishment, operation and use of the Fund guaranteeing salary claims, etc.

Also, at today’s meeting, CNSM General Council members were informed by Sergiu Sainciuc, vice-president of CNSM, about the implementation of the “Collective Labour Agreement – the guarantee of your rights” campaign, launched on March 20, many events being reflected on our website.

Department of mass media and international relations of CNSM