Bulgaria. Launch of a national campaign "Decent work for suppliers and subcontractors in MNC”

On 4.10.2016 CITUB has launched a national campaign under the slogan: “Decent work for suppliers and subcontractors in MNC”. It is a project driven by CITUB in cooperation with two employers’ organizations: BIA (Bulgarian Industrial Association) and CEIBG (Confederation of employers and industrialists in Bulgaria).

The start of the campaign has been launched at Siemens Stock Ltd branch in Sofia with the active participation of: Plamen Dimitrov – President of CITUB, Plamen Nankov – Vice-President, Nikolay Nedev – Executive Secretary on collective bargaining and Ekaterina Ribarova – Scientific secretary of the Trade Union Research Institute (ISTUR) of CITUB and Evgeny Ivanov - Executive Director of CEIBG. At the meeting were discussed constructive proposals for the future partnership with the multinational company, including their suppliers and subcontractors.

In the project frame teams from CITUB, BIA and CEIBG will conduct companies’ visits, research and consultations in SMEs from MNC suppliers’ chains and subcontractors. The purpose will be improvement of working conditions, quality of work and rights enforcement of the employees/workers The focus is set on the enhancement of systems and mechanisms for implementation of labour, social, financial and ecological standards, embedded in the MNCs and in other large companies. The emphasis is targeted at the small and medium sized enterprises/companies which are part of the supplier chains of the MNC and other large companies. In Bulgaria there have been 120 MNC-s acting; a considerable part of them have built their supply chains on the first and next levels. A large number of major Bulgarian companies also have their supply chains in Bulgaria – i.e. they depend on many SMEs and they indirectly generate employment.

At the same time, a significant proportion of SMEs that are involved in the supply chains of large companies are experiencing serious difficulties in its operations: intense competition; dependency on procurement; difficulties in gaining independently capital and markets for investment and tax burdens. They have difficulties in providing adequate services to businesses and consumers as well: finding suitable and qualified personnel; difficulties in respecting labor and social rights.

Therefore the new project of CITUB with CEIBG and BIA is aimed at helping employers and employees/workers in MNCs’ supply chains and in large Bulgarian companies, planning to provide counseling materials, consultations and trainings in economic, social, environmental issues orientated to sectoral specifics of subcontractors and suppliers and extension of best practices in these companies.

International Department of CITUB