OPT in Bulgaria: developing a campaign on many levels

For a second year in a row, in September 2018, the Federation of transport trade unions in Bulgaria (FTTUB) took part in the European mobility week (EMW) with a second wave of ‘Our Public Transport’ campaign – which FTTUB develops in Bulgaria since 1 May 2017.

Last year, we introduced the OPT campaign to the wider trade union movement during CITUB’s 8th congress, which was attended by delegates from all industrial sectors in Bulgaria; and honored by guests from ITUC – the Deputy Secretary-General Jaap Wienen; and the European Economic and Social Council – Georges Dassis, president of the Workers’ Group at EESC. OPT was presented at the conference “A Future for Labor, a Future for Young People in Europe” organized by the International Youth Forum in Sofia. Later on, during EMW 2017 in September, we worked in partnership with Sofia municipality and the local public transport companies (bus, tram and trolley, metro and urban mobility centre) to draw the attention of the citizens of Sofia to the important role and the benefits of a publicly owned urban transport. At the open-door days during EMW 2017 for each company, FTTUB brought the spotlight on the transport workers. Citizens had the chance to experience first-hand our jobs at our workplaces and thus better appreciate our role as the people who give life to OPT. We also presented the results of a survey we have conducted proving that an increase in the number of women drivers leads to an improved working environment, better service for passengers and more profits for the companies in the entire urban transport sector.

In 2018, we opened our OPT campaign to other big cities in Bulgaria, and  used the EMW 2018 to once more draw public attention towards public transport.

 

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Trade union leaders at ‘Metropoliten EAD’ on a meeting with FTTUB president

On 8 February, trade union leaders from the organization at Sofia’s metro operator ‘Metropoliten EAD’ met with the president of the Federation of Transport Trade Unions in Bulgaria (FTTUB) Ekaterina Yordanova at FTTUB headquarters. During the meeting, the FTTUB team reviewed FTTUB’s 2018 priorities, the important campaigns and the key events that are ahead. Among the campaigns, the ETF’s ‘Fair Transport’ 2.0 campaign received special attention. In her speech, Ekaterina Yordanova highly appreciated the role of the organization at ‘Metropoliten EAD’ in negotiating better incomes and working conditions in the Company’s CBA, which was signed at the end of last year. Прочети още

FTTUB event marked the end of the WISE II project

Ekaterina Yordanova gave employers and trade union leaders the Bulgarian edition of the WISE II report and its recommendations for increasing the share of women working in public transport.

The Federation of Transport Trade Unions in Bulgaria (FTTUB) officially presented the final part of the WISE II project – “Women employment and gender equality policies in European public transport companies”. This is a joint project of the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) and the International Association for Public Transport (UITP) within the framework of the European Social Dialogue in the period 2015-2016. Bulgaria participates in the initiative through FTTUB, with a solid contribution to the research and the preparation of a handbook with policies and good practices for equality.

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On 1 May FTTUB launches the new campaign “OUR public transport”

The Federation of Transport Trade Unions in Bulgaria (FTTUB) celebrated Labour Day with the launch of the new “OUR public transport” campaign: an initiative of the International Federation of Transport Workers (ITF) which explains the benefits of public transport.

The inauguration of the campaign for Bulgaria gathered at ‘Renaissance’ square Bulgarian and international trade union leaders, employers’ representatives, Sofia municipality officials, transport workers, citizens and journalists. Прочети още

Vitosha metro station has been opened

2016-07-20 12.13.19A greeting speech of the Sofia Mayor Fandakova gave start to the opening ceremony of the metro station “Vitosha” yesterday, July 20th. She welcomed union representatives too. On the St Ilia’s day the newly built feature was celebrated with a traditional Christian ritual of inauguration and at 2 PM the regular traffic started. But the first train entered the station and stopped in it while it was presented to the official guests.
Among them were the prime minister, the ministers of transport, finance, culture, the representative of the European Commission in Bulgaria, National Assembly deputies and municipal councilors, including, of course, the chairman of the Metropolitan Committee for Transport and Tourism Ekaterina Yordanova. Both with her colleague Mr. Barbalov, Vice – Mayor and Chairman of the Finance Committee, they received special thanks from Mayor Yordanka Fandakova. She stressed that the project would not be carried out without the assistance of the government, the EC and the structural funds, but also without the people who worked on it – employees of the metropolitan Metropolitan headed by the Executive Director Eng. Bratoev, designers and builders. Some of them were rewarded for their excellent, efficient and timely completed work. The Prime Minister Borisov joined the congratulations. Прочети още

Final conference of the “Social conditions in UPT” project

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Social conditions must be developed both through collective bargaining and as official social policy and they should go hand in hand – that was the point in the speech of the European Commission representative Sigried Caspar at the final conference of the European social partners’ project on social conditions in public transport. It was held in Brussels on May 31 this year. The event was attended by FTTUB trade union leaders from the four metropolitan companies – SUMC, “Sofia Electrotransport”, “Sofia avtotransport” and “Metropolitan” – B.Danchev, E.Ivanova, N.Naydenov and T.Pachkova.

At the conference, the performed project study was presented as well as examples from Germany, France, Austria and Bulgaria. Прочети още

Appeal of FTTUB to the broad Bulgarian public

The Federation of Transport Trade Unions in Bulgaria (FTTUB), as a part of the largest civil organization in Bulgaria – the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB),

and its partners within the Discussion Forum “Socially responsible and sustainable development of the transport” held on 10 May 2016 in Sofia,

After discussing:
– The state of the sector and the problems in the particular sub-sectors;
– The on-going legislative initiatives at European level;
– The negative impact on the sector that unfair competition and gray economy produce;
– Their basic and destructive impact on social systems, democracy and statehood;
– Their impact on the lives and welfare of both employed in the sector and civil society;
– The need for enforced actions and guarantees on the social dimension of economic changes;
– The important social role of the transport as a provider of primary public service;
– The general desire for safe, modern, convenient, environment friendly and affordable transport;
– The need for uniform, clear rules, social standards and quality in transport services for all EU citizens

CALL

the whole Bulgarian civil society and all EU citizens living in Bulgaria
to support the efforts for balanced, socially responsible and sustainable development of transport and transport services
and dedicate one minute of their time
to take part in the petition and give their voice along with the rest of the EU citizenship
to support the ECI “Fair Transport”
on the website of ECI www.fairtransporteurope.eu
or through the websites of FTTUB and CITUB.
Together we can make the European and the Bulgarian transport fairer!
Let’s do it! Join today!

 

Discussion Forum “For a socially responsible and sustainable transport development”

IMG_0222On May 10, 2016 in “Central” hotel in Sofia a Discussion Forum “For socially responsible and sustainable transport development” was held. The forum has been organized by the Federation of Transport Trade Unions in Bulgaria (FTTUB) and “Friedrich Ebert” Foundation. It was attended by representatives of the Ministry of the Transport, Information Technology and Communications; Ministry of Labour and Social Policy; the Confederation of the Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria; affiliate unions of FTTUB; transport companies; NGOs; media. Прочети още

More for the social conditions in UPT

DSC05533On  January 27 and 28, in Frankfurt, Germany, the third and final workshop on the European social partners’ project “Social conditions in public transport” was held. Its beginning was the seminar in Sofia, and it is expected to close by a conference in May. The seminar was attended by Nikola Rusatev – the deputy sector representative for public transport in the FTTUB Youth Committee and Mila Nikolova, expert. Прочети още