The right of employees at the Ministry of Interior (Министерство на вътрешните работи, MVR [1]) to trade union association is guaranteed by law, albeit with certain necessary limitations due to the public service nature of their work. According to the Interior Ministry Act (Article 265, item 2), its employees may form their trade union organisation with the purpose of providing assistance to affiliate members and protecting their professional, social and economic rights. However, MVR employees cannot be members of other trade unions or accept in their trade union organisations representatives of workers outside the ministry. Furthermore, their trade union does not have the right to join or participate in national trade union confederations.[1] http://www.mvr.bg/en/default.htm
Since December 2008, police officers have been lobbying for a pay rise and an improvement in their working conditions. Intensive discussions have been held on an internet forum on the need to establish a new trade union to protect the labour interests of members of the police force. The new Trade Union Federation of Employees in the Ministry of Interior was set up on 15 February 2009 in the city of Stara Zagora.
Legislation on right of association in Ministry of Interior
The right of employees at the Ministry of Interior (Министерство на вътрешните работи, MVR) to trade union association is guaranteed by law, albeit with certain necessary limitations due to the public service nature of their work. According to the Interior Ministry Act (Article 265, item 2), its employees may form their trade union organisation with the purpose of providing assistance to affiliate members and protecting their professional, social and economic rights. However, MVR employees cannot be members of other trade unions or accept in their trade union organisations representatives of workers outside the ministry. Furthermore, their trade union does not have the right to join or participate in national trade union confederations.
Bulgarian legislation aims to avoid any attempts by the trade union organisations to intervene in the management of MVR; the unions are expected to protect the interests of their members without interfering with the ministry’s management.
The act guarantees the employees’ right to hold meetings during non-service hours. According to Article 266, item 1, police officers and sergeants may hold meetings during non-service hours, including wearing a uniform in rooms or places belonging to the ministry. These rooms are provided by the respective management members, who determine the conditions of use. Meetings may also be held in premises closed to outsiders such as journalists, commentators and trade union consultants.
During working hours, the officers and sergeants may hold meetings of an annual aggregate duration of up to 10 hours, and the management shall have the right to determine the time and place of the meeting.
Trade unions in ministry up to end of 2008
The National Police Union (NPU), the National Ogneboretz Union, representing firefighters, and the Trade Union of the Civil Administration (TUCA) were the trade union organisations functioning in MVR up until the end of 2008.
NPU activity in recent years appears to have declined. For example, the last agreement between the trade union and the ministry presented on the NPU website dates from 1 April 2005.
According to data from TUCA, 6,300 personnel with employment contracts from all of the MVR departments are TUCA members. TUCA is a member of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions from State Administration and Organisations (FITUSAO), which is part of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (Конфедерация на независимите синдикати в България, CITUB).
New trade union organisation
Independently organised police officers have become known as ‘forum policemen’, due to their use of an internet forum to discuss issues and organise protest actions (BG0901039I). The police officers have held several meetings since December 2008 to discuss how to pursue their demands for a 50% pay increase and improved working conditions.
The management of MVR asked the protesting police officers to appoint a contact group with which the management could negotiate. In this way, MVR effectively ignored the NPU management.
The meeting on 14 January 2009 in the northcentral town of Gabrovo was organised through an internet forum and it was attended by representatives of the various MVR departments. A contact group for negotiations with MVR was also appointed. The nationally representative trade union the Confederation of Labour Podkrepa (Страница на КТ Подкрепа**,** CL Podkrepa) and the nationally representative employer organisation the Union for Private Economic Enterprise (UPEE) participate in the online discussions and supported the protesters.
On 17 January 2009, the contact group put forward a number of proposals, some of which concerned amendments to the Interior Ministry Act and the Penal Code, as well as the provision of more modern technical equipment and higher wages. The proposals were followed by a new wave of discussions on the police internet forum and culminated with the decision to set up a new trade union organisation. On 15 February 2009, the Trade Union Federation of Employees in the Ministry of Interior (TUFEMI) was established in the central city of Stara Zagora. On 26 February 2009, the documents of the new trade union organisation were put forward for registration. As of April 2009, the police protests continue.
Commentary
Thus, an unprecedented event took place in Bulgaria during the spring of 2009, namely the creation of a new trade union organisation through broad discussions on so-called ‘new media’ internet forums and blogs. This is an interesting example of a new trade union being established through a horizontal network of cooperation using a ‘bottom-up’ approach.
Teodor Detchev, UPEE
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (2009), Police use internet forum to organise new trade union, article.
