First major trade union merger takes place

At the end of December 2006, three of the five nationally representative trade union confederations agreed to form the Alliance of Trade Union Confederations in Romania. The respective confederations include the National Confederation of Free Trade Unions in Romania, the National Trade Union Bloc and the National Trade Union Confederation Meridian. The new alliance is set to function in its current form for a period of one year, following which the general assembly will analyse the results and determine the next steps of the merger.

Background to merger

On 29 January 2007, the merger project of three of the five national trade union confederations, announced in early autumn 2006, was finalised with the formation of the Alliance of Trade Union Confederations in Romania (Alianta Confederatiilor Sindicale din România, ACSR). The new trade union structure includes the National Confederation of Free Trade Union Fraternity in Romania (Confederatia Nationala a Sindicatelor Libere din România Fratia, CNSLR Fratia), the National Trade Union Confederation Meridian (Confederatia Sindicala Nationala Meridian, CSN Meridian) and the National Trade Union Bloc (Blocul National Sindical, BNS).

The Confederation of Democratic Trade Unions in Romania (Confederatia Sindicatelor Democratice din România, CSDR), a fourth trade union that was party to the negotiations, did not join the alliance. However, neither the press release issued by the abovementioned three confederations nor other sources revealed any information on the reasons why CSDR refused to enter the alliance. Moreover, the fifth nationally representative trade union confederation, the National Trade Union Confederation ‘Cartel Alfa’ (Confederatia Nationala Sindicala ‘Cartel Alfa’ (Cartel Alfa), has not been involved in the merger.

In addition to the withdrawal of CSDR, the name of the new structure also changed from the initially announced General Work Confederation (Confederatie Generala a Muncii) to ACSR (RO0610019I), seemingly in symmetry with the Alliance of Employer Confederations in Romania (Alianta Confederatiilor Patronale din România, ACPR) (RO0609039I).

Furthermore, the merger congress planned for December 2006 turned into a joint meeting of the boards of the three structures. The meeting ended with the announcement that the alliance would function in its current form until the end of 2007, following which the members reunited in the ‘general assembly will analyse the results and determine the next steps of the merger’.

A joint press release published by the three confederations also confirms that the objectives of ACSR have been unanimously approved, while the structure of the organisation will remain open to any trade union organisations sharing its objectives.

Objectives of new trade union alliance

The partners in ACSR ‘have decided to act in good faith, jointly and in strict observance of the independence and autonomy of its members’ in attempting to fulfil the following five objectives.

Performance-related wages

The objectives established by ACSR invoke a wage policy based on the fair-pay principle which in fact requires a reform of the current wage policy in Romania. ACSR revealed that ‘the national minimum wage, which barely ensures subsistence, is no longer an option and can no longer be accepted by ACSR member trade unions’.

The group believes that workers in Romania ‘must be paid at the same level as in other European countries if performances are similar. Romania can no longer afford the brain drain generated by miserly wages, which has become a state policy’. Therefore, ACSR wants to see fair, performance-related pay for workers, which should be as close as possible to the wage levels in other EU Member States.

Strong and united trade union movement

The three confederations decided to set up ACSR, ‘in the belief that joint action is the only solution to obtain concrete results for the benefit of trade union members and workers in general. A strong, united, joint-action movement, recognised at national and international level is one of the alliance’s major objectives’.

Social model to support labour market development

ACSR will devise and promote a strategy observing the social principles enshrined at European level, ‘by implementing a social model concept to balance the economic liberalisation trend’. The Romanian social model will be aligned with the principles and values of the European social model.

Strengthening social dialogue

Trade unions in Romania are in favour of resolving issues through social dialogue. To this end, ACSR ‘will spare no effort to strengthen the social dialogue institution in Romania, by consolidating the institutional framework and effectively using all instruments in the field’.

Protection of workers’ rights

ACSR aims to reform the regulatory and institutional framework governing work relations as ‘the current legislation in the field restricts workers’ ability to defend their fundamental rights and freedoms’.

Commentary

Although these objectives seem generous and have European resonance, they will not immediately become reality; more time is needed before measures can be put in place to support these objectives, perhaps even more than a year. However, it should be noted that over the past 16–17 years, since the new trade unions emerged in Romania, the objectives of these unions have been the same. Therefore, it remains to be seen if one year is enough for ACSR to achieve more than trade unions have accomplished in the past decade and a half.

Constantin Ciutacu, Institute of National Economy, Romanian Academy