The chairman of the ATUC participates in the Albanian Trade Union Congress
18 Sep 2019
On September 18, the 7th Congress of the Albanian Independent Trade Union started its work in Tirana, the capital of Albania. President of the Union Gezim Kalaya made a political speech at the congress.
The conference also listened to the report of Sharon
Barrow, Secretary General of the Confederation of International Trade Unions.
Then foreign delegations and Albanian officials invited to the congress welcomed
the congress.
Chairman of
the Confederation of Trade Unions of Azerbaijan, Member of the Parliament,
Vice-President of the ITUC Sattar Mehbaliyev made a speech at the congress.
S.Mehbaliyev greeted the participants of the congress on his own behalf and on
behalf of all members of the Trade Unions of Azerbaijan and wished them success
in the work of the congress.
The chairman
of the ATUC said relations between Azerbaijan and Albania have been developing
successfully for many years. As a result of the efforts of our leaders, this
successful development continues today. The people of Azerbaijan and Albania
are very close to each other in terms of ethnic and cultural values. At the
last meeting of our presidents at the 7th Global Baku Forum in March of this
year, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev reiterated that
Azerbaijan attaches great importance to bilateral relations with Albania. In
turn, the President of the Republic of Albania, Ilir Meta, said that Albania is
also interested in expanding ties with Azerbaijan in various areas, especially
in the field of tourism, as well as establishing the local gas supply system in
Azerbaijan. During the meeting, it was noted that our countries successfully
cooperate within international organizations and always support each other.
Projects implemented by Azerbaijan jointly with Albania will further strengthen
our cooperation.
He said that
given the great importance of the meetings of the two presidents and the
agreements signed between them, we, in turn, pay special attention to the
development of trade cooperation between our republics, actively participating
in the implementation of all agreements.
There is a
long-term relationship between the Confederation of Trade Unions of Azerbaijan
and the Union of Independent Trade Unions of Albania. We regularly meet at
events organized by the Confederation of International Trade Unions and other
international organizations. Last year, the delegation of the Union of
Independent Trade Unions of Albania participated in the 5th Congress of the
Confederation of Trade Unions of Azerbaijan, and now we have a tradition of
your supreme body, and it has become a tradition. I remember Mr. Gezim Kalaja's
participation and meeting with the International Labor Organization (ILO) in
May this year. At that meeting, we, together with Mr. Kalaja, signed an
agreement "On cooperation between the Confederation of Trade Unions of
Azerbaijan and the Albanian Independent Trade Union" to discuss the
high-level relations between the trade unions of Azerbaijan and Albania.
Signing this agreement alone is an indication of our very close relationship
between the trade union and the Albanian Independent Trade Union.
The chairman of the ATUC informed
the participants of the successful social reforms in the country in recent
years, saying that the reforms have reduced the unemployment rate in our
country by 5% and the poverty level by 5.1%. Since the beginning of the current
year, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan has approved two social
packages, which cover 4.2 million people. The financial capacity of the two
social packages is $ 1.35 billion this year and $ 1.76 billion next year. This
means that the minimum wage and minimum pensions have been increased in
Azerbaijan twice a year. Our country is ranked first in this index in the
Commonwealth of Independent States. The Azerbaijani government directs almost
all of its additional income to the social sector. In a word, the social sphere
is a priority for our republic, and this field has always been in the spotlight
of the country's leadership, and it is still today.
Addressing the Nagorno-Karabakh
issue, Mehbaliyev said that about one-fifth of the territory of the Republic of
Azerbaijan was occupied by the Armenian armed forces, 20,000 people were
killed, 50,000 were wounded and nearly 5,000 wounded. is missing. The aggression against Azerbaijan
has seriously damaged the socio-economic life of the country. The Republic of
Armenia has continued its policy of occupation by ignoring the four UN
resolutions on the cessation of occupation. Along with the ceasefire along with
the Azerbaijani soldiers, they also shoot and kill civilians in the surrounding
areas. Almost every 8 people in the country have become refugees and IDPs.
Important steps have been taken to address the social problems of internally
displaced persons, and their benefits have been increased by 50%.
Speaking about the activity of his organization,
S.Mehbaliyev said that the Confederation of Trade Unions of Azerbaijan unites
26 member organizations and about half a million members. Every year we sign
the General Collective Agreement with the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic
of Azerbaijan, the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers)
Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the General Agreement outlines
the requirements regarding the socio-economic interests of employees. In recent
years, at the initiative of the Confederation of Trade Unions, amendments and
additions have been made in the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan “On Trade
Unions”, the Labor and Administrative Offenses Code and other laws to protect
the interests of employees.
"As Vice-President of the
Confederation of International Trade Unions Confederation, I think we need to
think about the tasks we have to fulfill at the IV Congress of the ITUC,"
he said. Thus, in the final document of the congress, the ITUC member
organizations have undertaken a number of tasks. There is no doubt that these
commitments will be met by your trade union. The main goals are to increase the
number of ITUC members to 250 million,
to raise minimum wage and social protection through collective bargaining, to
strengthen the fight against discrimination and racism, and to reduce gender
equality. In short, 4 future
directions of the ITUC have been identified. These are the rule of law and
peaceful democracy, the regulation of economic power, global change and
equality. ”
I hope
you have the advice of the International Trade Unions for member organizations.
