“Enhancing Labour Market Flexibility and Effectiveness through Active Actions by the Social Partners” “Security through the law, flexibility through the collective bargaining” BG 051PO

Contract information: Funded under OP “Human Resources Management” - ESF Duration: 49 months Implemented so far: 42 months Beneficiary: CITUB Partner: BIA

Overall aim: Improving the adaptability of employees to the challenges of the modern labour market in Bulgaria by implementing flexicurity measures through joint actions by the social partners

Specific objectives: 1.Enhancing policies on labor, employment and social security by identifying the major problems in these sectors and creating sustainable mechanisms and instruments to measure the labor climate. 2.Enhancing labor legislation in compliance with the EC requirements for introducing the National Flexicurity Pathways 3.Developing and strengthening the collective bargaining on regional and sector level through the establishment of a National Network for Collective Bargaining and Rights. 4.Strengthening the social dialogue through research and exchange of experiences and best practices in the EU and proposals for legislative changes in the bipartite and tripartite dialogue. 5.Improving the adaptability of employees and increasing their capacity by implementing a comprehensive upgrading training program in the context of the lifelong learning strategy, as an element of the flexicurity.

Thematic sphere Enhancing policies on labour, employment and social security Carrying out of surveys and developing analyses which form considerable part of the Bulgarian contribution to the goals of Europe 2020 Strategy – provision of flexibility and security in the sphere of employment and reducing the gaps on the labour market

Labour market Measuring the Labour Climate in Bulgaria – through the development of a complex index by branches and sectors. This index is one of the innovations of the project; Development of the Information and Consultation Systems – (Directive 2002/14/EC) Support for the development of policies, accompanying measures for work-life balancing – on national and regional level Improvement of the systems for payment in the real sector Labour market surveys for 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013

Mobility of the workers/employees Survey on the everyday labour migration – instrument for achieving of flexibility, security and effectiveness on the labour market; Flexicurity Analysis of the implementation of the measures of the National Flexicurity Pathway and elaboration of proposals for changes in the National Council for Enhancement of the Employment

Labour legislation Surveys and concrete elaborations of legislative changes in the sphere of labour legislation. In that respect the project has a considerable contribution for the transposition of the EU Directives and for the development and strengthening the social dialogue in Bulgaria Changes in the Labour Code – regulating the home-based workers, the Telework and the Temporary Employment Agencies; For the first time in the last 20 years three National Agreements were conducted by the representative social partners’ organizations in Bulgaria – for the home-based work, for the telework and for the rules and regulations of the National Council for Tripartite Cooperation; Proposing and including concrete texts in the package of anti-crisis measures developed by the Bulgarian government.

Labour legislation (2) Elaboration of proposals for changes in the labour legislation and other labour related acts – Employment Promotion Act, Ordinance on the structure and organization of the salary; Proposals for changes in the labour legislation and the Code of Civil Procedures supported by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy aiming to guarantee the unpaid salaries, elaboration of concrete texts for changes in the Law on the Protection of Employees’ Claims in the Event of Insolvency of their Employers Proposals for changes in the Labour Code and the rules of the National Council for Tripartite Cooperation aiming improvement of the tri-partite and bi-partite dialogue; Proposals for changes in the Penal Code aiming criminalization in case of evasion of social security contributions (supported by the Ministry of Justice). The proposals have been approved by the Commission on Labour legislation in NCTC (April, 2012)

Thematic sphere: Development and Strengthening of the Collective Bargaining on Regional and Sectoral level National Network on Collective Bargaining and Rights

Elaboration of a complex analysis of the development of the collective bargaining with a participation of 10 CITUB Federations and 10 BIA’s Branch Chambers ; Elaboration of sectoral strategies for the development of the bi-partite dialogue and the social dialogue; New dimensions for measures for the development of the bi-partite dialogue on concrete topics, elaborated in the framework of the activity; Concluding National Agreements on telework, home-based work and series of bi-partite agreements; Elaboration of Manuals on the development of the collective bargaining in Bulgaria by sectors and branches for 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 40 information brochures with a total circulation of ; Development of a network of 38 offices (28 regional and 10 sectoral) for consulting on collective bargaining and rights; Carrying out of three National Campaigns.

NATIONAL CAMPAIGNS National campaign dedicated on the basic labour and insurance rights “The Rights of Everyone are Rights for All”. In the framework of this campaign 82 companies with established systems of social dialogue were visited, workers/employees were consulted in 6 months’ period; National Campaign “My First Work Place”. A package of materials was elaborated aimed at young employees/workers (at their first workplace) containing information on their labour rights and obligations and work discipline; National campaign “Be Info” aimed at workers/employees in companies with more than 50 employed in which there are no systems of information and consultation. The campaign was implemented jointly with BIA. For a three months’ period 50 enterprises were visited and consulted and 640 workers/employees in 13 regions were met and consulted;

Thematic sphere: Rising Awareness of the Workers and Employees and Formation of Public Attitudes for the Promotion and Implementation of the Flexsicurity Measures

Information campaign on national and regional level. In the framework of the campaign we reached rating points amongst the target groups of the project; The information portals of the project reached unique visits per month (the Collective Bargaining Portal the Labour, Insurance and Social Rights Portal) 52 leaflets and brochures were developed and published in copies; During the campaign “The Rights of Everyone are Rights for All’ a total number of signatures of employees and workers were gathered.

4 Thematic sphere: Improving the adaptability of employees and increasing their capacity by implementing a comprehensive upgrading training program in the context of the lifelong learning strategy as an element of flexicurity.

One of the innovations in the framework of the project is the new specialty “Management of Industrial Relations ” with a curriculum of 960 hours – Vocational Qualification Level 3 according to the National Regulations in VET. 34 training courses were implemented with 1000 trainees and 100 trainers (who were trained trainers in the framework of the project). The training is modular (5 modules) and the trainees are supposed to attend 20 days face-to-face training and 47 days distance training (practice) for a period of 18 months employees/workers were trained on key competences and 40 employees/workers were trained trainers on key competences;.