A NETWORK FOR SOLIDARITY OF THE TRADE UNIONS OF TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS OF SOUTHEAST EUROPE HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED
12/03/2013
The participants of the conference- trade union is the only way of organizing joint activities
"The Solidarity Network of the unions of transport and communications of Southeast Europe" is the name of the new body of trade unions in the region. The decision to establish the new body has been reached on the second regional conference of the unions of transport and communications in the region that was held on November 30 at the hotel "Aleksandar Palace" in Skopje under the logo "Strategy for solidarity."
The theme of the conference was "Developing trade union strategies in response to the existing challenges in the sector of transport and communications." The conference was organized by the Trade Union of the workers in transport and communications of the Republic of Macedonia (SRSVM), the Federation of Trade Unions of Transport of Bulgaria, the Regional Office of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Office for labor relations and social dialogue in SEE, representatives of the World Federation of Trade Unions of traffic (International Transport Federation - ITF), the European Federation of Trade Unions of traffic (European Transport Federation - ETF), and TU representatives from Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Romania.
At the press conference, the President of SRSVM, Mico Stojanovski has noted that all carriers in Europe are equal in terms of employment rights over other union rights enjoyed by employees in transportation in the region. Ekaterina Jordanova, from the Federation of Trade Union of Transport of Bulgaria and representative from ITF and ETF stated that if we want to be worthy partners and worthy opposition of employers' organizations we should exert more force to unite and act together. The representative of the "Friedrich Ebert Foundation" - Regional Project on Labor relations and social dialogue in SEE, Milan Jeftic explained that regional cooperation is the only way unions to oppose multinational companies and to fight the working conditions.
Solidarity Network conference set three specific goals that will be addressed with the support of the European and World Federation of Trade Unions (ITF and ETF). These are:
First, the return of confiscated rights by employers of trade union representatives in the port of Konstanca, Romania;
Second, enforcement activities at European and world level to restore dignity and licenses of the employees in "MA - NAV" (Macedonian navigation) for which a resolution on the ETF congress in Prague on November 27, was adopted;
Third, Trade union support for a female colleague from the TU of Transport of Montenegro on the realization of her basic labor rights.