FTTUB president received support from the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB); European Parliament’s support is also expected.

Bulgaria should urgently support the position of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) before the vote on the final version of teh Agreed Conclusions of the 61st session of the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations, which is currently taking place in New York. This is what FTTUB President and International Transport Federation (ITF) vice president Ekaterina Yordanova pleaded in a letter to Bulgarian prime minister Ognyan Gerdzhikov.

“A resolution is being prepared in which there is a serious retrograde step from equality policies. Therefore, we urge the Bulgarian representative to CSW61, to support the position of the ITUC; otherwise we will globally go back and give up already achieved rights of women. FTTUB has sent its request to the prime minister, with an argumentation of 32 pages. We received support from CITUB, and I hope that the unions’ voice will be heard.” This is what Ekaterina Yordanova commented upon returning from New York, where she participated in the meetings of the Commission on the Status of Women as a vice president of the International Transport Federation. She also presented there CITUB position on gender equality, as adopted by the National Conference “Gender equality”, co-organized by FTTUB, CITUB and Bulgarian Union of Тeachers (BUT) on 7 March in Sofia.

Ekaterina Yordanova has also requested support from Bulgarian MEP Maria Gabriel, member of the European People’s Party and deputy chair of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality at the European Parliament. Gabriel has made a commitment to get publicity and support for the position of ITUC among European Members of Parliament.

ITUC’s position contain requests related to women’s rights and gender equality, the main ones being:

– Recognition of the impact of gender-based violence in the workplace and promoting the creation of an ILO Convention respectively making recommendations in this regard;

– Recognition and respect for the right to work and all related labor rights, including the right to decent pay; as well as providing equal pay for work of equal value between men and women;

– Recognizing that women’s sexual and reproductive rights are inextricably linked to their economic rights and their right to decent work.