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Freedom of Association, Employees’ Rights and Social Dialogue in Central and Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans (Long version)
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The fact that this study has been jointly published by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, the European Trade Union Institute, the Otto Brenner Foundation and the Hans Böckler Foundation is in itself an expression of the solidarity that exists within the German, European and international labour movement. The study is the result of many years’ close collaboration and cooperation in supporting trade union work – our central concern, as always, being to promote the interests of employees in Europe and throughout the world.
The results of the survey of 16 former socialist countries in Eastern Europe
Publisher: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Europäisches Gewerkschaftsinstitut, Otto Brenner Stiftung und Hans-Böckler-Stiftung
Publishers’ foreword
The fact that this study has been jointly published by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, the European Trade Union Institute, the Otto Brenner Foundation and the Hans Böckler Foundation is in itself an expression of the solidarity that exists within the German, European and international labour movement. The study is the result of many years’ close collaboration and cooperation in supporting trade union work – our central concern, as always, being to promote the interests of employees in Europe and throughout the world.
The author summarizes the main fi ndings of surveys and country reports on the legal situation of trade unions and their members regarding implementation of labour rights and freedom of association, and analyses these on the basis of his extensive knowledge and experience of Eastern Europe. The comparative study covers 16 former socialist coun-tries in Eastern Europe - the 10 new EU member states in Central Eastern Europe and the Eastern Balkans and also the candidates for the next accession round from the Western Balkans. Surrounded by the EU to the East and South, this region in the heart of the Balkans has relatively good prospects of developing practical social dialogue, despite the crises and tensions it has experienced over the last 15 years.
This comprehensive overview of the current situation regarding freedom of association and practical realisation of trade union rights in Eastern Europe would not have been possible without the detailed answers to our questions that were provided by trade union representatives, legal specialists and experts in labour relations in the 16 countries concerned. We would like to thank them for the opportunity they offered us to familiarize ourselves with the situation and learn about a number of hitherto unfamiliar problems at local level.
In particular we would like to express our thanks to the authors of the extensive country reports from the six countries of the Western Balkans - the successor states to the former Yugoslavia and Albania - who also acted as rapporteurs at the workshops organised with the participation of representatives of governments and social partners.
The full version of the research results is available in Polish, English and German, with a short version appearing not only in German and English but also in Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian, Romanian, Bulgarian and Albanian. By publishing the report we hope to contribute to the debate on the prospects for reform in Eastern, Central and South-Eastern Europe. We are delighted that you have shown an interest in this international exchange of experience within an enlarged Europe.
On behalf of the publishers
Constantin Grund
Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung
Philippe Pochet
ETUI Brussels
Wolf Jürgen Röder
Otto Brenner Foundation
Nikolaus Simon
Hans Böckler Foundation