In April 2008, Bulgaria’s two largest trade union organisations, CITUB and LC Podkrepa, signed a cooperation agreement with the UK’s Trades Union Congress. Unions in each country will provide union members from the other country with support and information while working on their territory, and offer membership to long-term migrant workers .
On 11 April 2008, the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB), the Labour Confederation ‘Podkrepa’ (LC Podkrepa) and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) signed an agreement aimed at supporting migrant workers. At an official ceremony at the TUC congress centre in London, the document was signed by the TUC General Secretary, Brendan Barber, and the presidents of CITUB, Jeliazko Hristov, and CL Podkrepa, Konstantin Trenchev. Those attending the event included the Bulgarian ambassador in London and representatives of the media.
The aim of the agreement is to tackle social dumping and offer trade union services, consultancy and mutual support to trade union members from one country working in the other.
Background
Labour migration within Europe is a long-standing phenomenon, but it has achieved a high profile since the EU’s enlargements in 2004 and in 2007 (when Bulgaria joined), with increased flows from central and eastern European countries to the west. Concerns have been expressed by trade unions and other parties that many of these migrant workers may be exploited in their destination countries. According to data from CL Podkrepa, there are about 100,000 Bulgarian workers in the United Kingdom and most of them work without employment contracts.
Enlargement has raised the question of the appropriate trade union response to labour migration.The ‘Seville Manifesto’ adopted by the European Trade Union Confederation at its XIth congress in May 2007 committed European unions to: ‘strive for a better framework of mobility of Europe’s workers based on the principle of equal treatment in the place where the work is done, or the service provided’; and ‘promote a pro-active migration policy, opening legal channels for migration, while combating labour exploitation of migrant workers including undocumented migrants’.
Bulgarian (BG0612019I) and UK trade unions support the aim of increasing the security of migrant workers and of providing them with working conditions and social rights equal to those of local workers. Given the increased flow of labour between the two countries (principally from Bulgaria to the UK), the unions have decided to strengthen their international cooperation and to collaborate on organizing Bulgarian migrant workers in the United Kingdom and ensuring trade union support for British union members working in Bulgaria.
Terms of the agreement
The agreement covers members of CITUB and CL Podkrepa living and working in the UK and TUC members living and working in Bulgaria. It provides for the following:
- Transfer of trade union membership. In the event of prolonged employment in the receiving country lasting more than a year, workers may transfer their membership from a Bulgarian union to a UK union, and vice versa, and dual membership of unions in the two countries is possible.
- The provision by unions to migrant workers of information and support on labour, social insurance and legal issues;
- Intervention by unions on the workers’ behalf with employers and with relevant institutions, as far as these interventions do not involve substantial costs for the trade union providing the help;
In connection with the agreement, each of the trade union confederations will establish a ‘consulting centre on migrant workers. The aim is to facilitate communication between unions in the two countries and provide a single point of contact. The centres are obliged to process quickly applications for assistance and to take relevant decisions swiftly.
Commentary
The agreement between the Bulgarian and UK unions is evidence of trade union solidarity in the promotion of labour rights and achieving a balance between the free movement of people within the EU and the control of illegal immigration. The agreement guarantees mutual trade union protection based on mutual recognition of the trade union membership.
Snezhanka Dimitrova, ISTUR