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Tripartite Consultation (International Labour Standards) Convention, 1976 (No. 144) - Bulgaria (RATIFICATION: 1998)

The Committee notes the observations of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB), as well as the observations of the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA), received on 23 October 2019. The Committee requests the Government to provide its comments in this respect.

Article 5 of the Convention. Effective tripartite consultations. The Committee welcomes the detailed information provided by the Government regarding tripartite consultations held on the matters relative to international labour standards under Article 5(1)(a)–(e) of the Convention between 2016 and 2018. In addition, the Committee notes that the social partners were consulted in determining the composition of the Government delegation during the 105th, 106th and 107th Sessions of the International Labour Conference and in preparing responses to ILO questionnaires, including the ILO questionnaire on “Ending violence and harassment against women and men in the world of work” (108th Session of the Conference). The Committee notes with interest the ratification of the Minimum Wage Fixing Convention, 1970 (No. 131), on which the social partners were consulted. The Government indicates that the possible ratification of the Collective Bargaining Convention, 1981 (No. 154), is being considered through a working group established to discuss and develop amendments to the Labour Code aimed at improving national social dialogue. The social partners have been requested to provide opinions on the possible ratification. The Government indicates that, apart from tripartite consultations held at the national level in the National Council for Tripartite Partnership, tripartite cooperation also exists in branch, sectoral and district level. In its observations, the CITUB maintains that most of the tripartite cooperation councils at the branch and sectoral levels exist formally, but do not function in practice. The CITUB indicates that it has prepared a proposal to amend the Rules on the Organization and Operation of the Tripartite Cooperation Councils, with the objective of increasing their activity. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the content and outcome of the tripartite consultations held on the matters covered by the Convention, particularly relating to questionnaires on Conference agenda items (Article 5(1)(a)); the submission of instruments adopted by the Conference to the National Assembly (Article 5(1)(b)); the re-examination at appropriate intervals of unratified Conventions and Recommendations to which effect has not yet been given (Article 5(1)(c)); questions arising out of reports to be presented on the application of ratified Conventions (Article 5(1)(d)); and the possible denunciation of ratified Conventions (Article 5(1)(e)).