Bulgaria resources

  1. © iStock 2024
    Why Trade Unions should act on Skills Development – and how?

    19 February 2021

    To build a ‘better normal’ in the post-COVID-19 world of work, skills development and lifelong learning need to be part of economic transformation. This responsibility should not reside with governments and companies alone. Trade Unions have an important role to play in shaping the professional development of workers at any age. A new, easy-to-use ILO Resource Guide illustrates how Trade Unions can engage more effectively in skills development policies and practices.

  2. © AFP 2024
    ITUC Global Rights Index 2020 shows workers’ rights violations occur too often in Central and Eastern Europe

    24 June 2020

    The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) released its yearly Global Rights Index in June 2020. This year, the report affirms that the violations of workers’ rights is increasing globally, and is the highest in seven years. For Central and Eastern Europe the ratings indicate that the situation is more stable than globally, but many workers in the region still lack access to rights.

  3. A comparative overview of drivers and outcomes of labour law and industrial relations reforms in selected Central and Eastern European countries

    08 June 2020

    This report seeks to provide a comparative overview of the policy goals and rationale which led to the reform of labour law and industrial relations systems, and the outcomes of these changes in law and practice, in selected CEE countries.

  4. COVID-19 and the world of work: What are the responses of the ILO Office for Central and Eastern Europe?

    14 February 2020

    Central and Eastern Europe managed the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic (spring 2020) relatively well, but the region was heavily hit by the second and third wave in the fall/winter of 2020/21. The lockdowns and the global economic recession led to a steep economic decline in 2020. ILO estimates show that the crisis caused a strong reduction in economic activity and working time. Eastern Europe lost on average 8 per cent of all hours worked. This is equivalent to 10 Mio full-time jobs. Two thirds of these jobs were preserved as firms resorted to reduced working hours while the remaining one third of jobs were lost. The ILO figures for Western Balkan economies look very similar and report a loss of 8 per cent of hours worked (equivalent to around 560,000 employment losses). Forecasts say that GDP will reach its pre pandemic level by the end of 2021 or in 2022. However, uncertainty is high as these predictions assume that the region achieves a high vaccination rate and will not face more waves of the pandemic. Experience from other economic crisis shows that the labour market will only react to the economic recovery with a time lag.

  5. What does the new WORLD EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL OUTLOOK: TRENDS 2020 report say about Central and Eastern Europe?

    14 February 2020

  6. ITUC wage campaign steps up efforts to increase wages in the Balkans

    07 November 2019

    In 2017, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) launched a global wage campaign to support trade union action to increase wages. Most of the activities had taken place in Asia, Latin America and Africa so far. In July 2019, ITUC extended the wage campaign to the Balkans. The new regional action unfolds in cooperation between ITUC and its regional structure for East and Southeast Europe, the Pan European Regional Council (PERC), supported by the ILO.

  7. CEELex Central and Eastern European Labour Legislation Database

    18 October 2019

    CEELex is a searchable online database offering information on the national labour laws in Central and Eastern Europe. Based on ILO conventions and more than 25 years of working experience in labour legislation in CEE, the database provides selected key information on labour and industrial relations in the region. The topics covered range from collective bargaining to working conditions (e.g. minimum wages, working hours), termination of employment contracts, labour dispute resolution, and non-standard forms of employment.

  8. ITUC Global Rights Index shows workers’ rights are frequently violated in Central and Eastern Europe

    09 July 2019

    The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) released in June its yearly Global Rights Index. For 2019, it shows that Central and Eastern Europe still has a long way to go before workers can access the rights laid down in international labour standards. Yet, there are also positive developments.

  9. Skills Development and TVET: a valuable training offer for the CEE region

    25 April 2019

    Are you passionate about TVET, Skills Development or Youth Employment and would like to increase your knowledge in this highly complex policy area? The offer of the International Training Centre of the ILO (ITC-ILO) may be the right learning experience for you.

  10. © AFP/Europress 2024
    Strengthening social protection for the future of work—extending the social security to workers in non-standard employment

    19 March 2019

    Europe has been experiencing a growing diversification in working arrangements, as exemplified through the decline of standard employment and the significant growth of non-standard forms of employment. These developments were discussed at a recent Conference "Automation, jobs and the future of work: understanding political and economic consequences" organized by the New Direction Foundation.