Trade Unions’ Joint Representative Body to the Ukrainian Parliament urges Government to adopt legislation in consultation with social partners

“The Joint Representative Body of the Representative All-Ukrainian Trade Unions at the National Level, representing over 8 million trade union members, regrets to acknowledge that at present social dialogue is not in line with modern challenges and has decorative nature despite the legislation in force. Executive bodies introduce draft laws, crucial for millions of workers, to the Parliament without them having been agreed with trade unions and employers’ organisations. In particular, this concerns the preparation of the draft State Budget of Ukraine 2015 and 2016 and many antisocial reform draft laws related to the social and labour sphere. Trade unions’ well-reasoned objections and proposals have been ignored that could not but cause an adequate response and result in mass protest actions.

Cardinal transformations in social, political and economic spheres combined with direct external threats require consolidation of the nation, uniting our efforts to achieve the strategic aim of building a European Ukraine.

It is possible only on the basis of comprehensive dialogue through joint agreements and agreed decisions by the social dialogue parties that represent the interests of workers, employers and authorities concerning issues of development and implementation of the state social and economic policy, regulation of labour, social and economic relations. So far we are witnessing only the consolidation of efforts of the authorities while social partners are excluded from the process in violation of the standards on Social Dialogue legislation in Ukraine.

Expressing their willingness to take part in the construction of European Ukraine, trade unions propose and consider it is necessary to include to the revised Coalition Agreement “European Ukraine” provisions concerning cooperation with trade unions and employers’ organisations in order to achieve the declared goal. This practice would be in line with the experience of developed European nations that in a period of crisis unites efforts of executive and legislative bodies, trade unions and employers’ organisations, other civil society and business organisations.

The Trade Unions’ JRB urges the leaders of the state and political forces to take a step towards trade unions and employers’ organisations, towards consolidation with civil society!”