Today, October 5, in the frame of the election campaign for local government in the capital of Bulgaria, was signed an agreement between the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) and the candidate of GERB political party and current Mayor of Sofia Mrs. Yordanka Fandakova.

The agreement is an expression of the accumulated positive experience, built mutual trust and predictability of social partners’ actions and their will to preserve, strengthen and build upon the achievements during the next term.

The parties agree to cooperate effectively, particularly through the sectoral and branch federations of the confederation, to achieve concrete results in priority areas such as employment, social dialogue, combating poverty and development of human resources. Some of the of horizontal priorities proposed by FTTUB are developing of measures to assist the rational reconciliation of private and professional life in the municipal enterprises; partnership in the field of culture and sports through joint projects; cooperation and support in the implementation of youth policies and policies for gender equality.

The main vision set by FTTUB in the agreement in terms of transport is the development of public transport and transport infrastructure to ensure quality jobs and quality transport service, providing safe, environment friendly, accessible and convenient public transport. According to the agreement Sofia Municipality makes a commitment to achieve:

• effectiveness of social dialogue at company level by enhancing the role of corporate governance, including the setting of measurable objectives and deadlines which should be subject to regular monitoring by the principal.
• participation of experts from FTTUB in important workers’ issues such as determining the requirements of procedures for the award of contracts for public transport, setting requirements on procedures for the purchase of vehicles and updating the calculations of the cost per one kilometer route mileage.
• improving working conditions through identification and prevention of psychosocial risks in the workplace, with particular emphasis on the prevention of workplace violence;
• preservation of existing employment and increasing its rate with the development of the sector;
• development of contemporary systems for human resources management, which are aimed to accurate selection, opportunities for training, career development, assessment, motivation, fair wages, internal labor market, turnover management etc .;
• Further renovation of the fleet with vehicles that meet modern standards;
• continuous improvement of the transport infrastructure which prioritizes routes of the public transport;
• further development of regulatory measures to ensure advantage of the public transport;
• accessibility to transport infrastructure and vehicles.

“By signing this agreement FTTUB not only provides the basis for future effective cooperation with Sofia Municipality which guarantees quality jobs and quality transport services in Sofia, but also provides a successful start of the ITF (International Transport Workers Federation) Action week devoted to inland transport,” said Ekaterina Yordanova to the media.

Yordanka Fandakova, Mayor of Sofia: “The greatest resource of our city are the people and we work together to make sure they have better conditions for work and rest. In the face of Ekaterina Yordanova we have one person who directly and on place defends the interest of the Confederation, and not only – the interest of the citizens who put their faith on us. Mrs Yordanova is a tоugh opponent and the conversations we have with all of you are not easy either, but I I am extremely grateful to you, because only trhrough dialogue we can solve people’s problems. “

Ekaterina Yordanova, FTTUB President and City councilor in Sofia Municipal Council: “I am extremely grateful to the biggest NGO in the country – CITUB and the largest municipality – Sofia Municipality for the opportunity that has been given to me – to be the bridge between the two and to be able to serve the interests of the working people and the citizens of Sofia.
This task is not easy, but I can say that this has been up until now a very successful project and I am glad that I have always been lucky to work side by side with a remarkable leaders. I began to perform this dual function when the Mayor of Sofia was our current and very successful Prime minister Boyko Borisov and the unforgettable and also very sucessfull President of the Confederation Dr. Zhelyazko Hristov. Now I continue my work with the successful teams of both the Mayor of Sofia Yordanka Fandakova and the President of CITUB Plamen Dimitrov. “