OREANDA-NEWS. September 12, 2011. In Ukraine started the new project “Improvement of collective bargaining and enforcement of labor laws in Ukraine”, begun by the International labour organization and the Government of Canada. Its official opening has taken place today in the Ministry of Social Policy with participation of representatives of Embassy of Canada in Ukraine, representatives of the ministries and departments, the National Tripartite Social and Economic Council, leaders of national associations of employers and trade unions.

Opening the meeting, the National Coordinator of the International Labour Organization in Ukraine Vasyl Kostritsa noted that the first goal of the project is to promote the effective implementation of the Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining Convention, as well as providing assistance to Ukraine in its efforts to strengthen and modernize the system of labor inspection.

His confidence in the effectiveness and efficiency of the new project suggested, addressing to gathered, the First Deputy Minister for Social Policy of Ukraine Vasyl Nadraga.   He has stressed that the Government is set up also by practical actions confirms interest in active cooperation with social partners at all levels, realizing that without the strong and developed trade-union movement, without the influential organizations of employers and increase of their role in a society is problematic to provide sociopolitical stability in our state.

“Now in Ukraine there are 165 all-Ukrainian trade unions and the trade union, and 21 all-Ukrainian unions of employers. It is clear that at such wide variety of labour unions the points of view of social partners not always coincide. However carrying out of consultations, negotiations, as a rule, pull together positions. Through a prism of social dialogue and harmonization of mutual relations of state structures of the power with employers and labour unions, through the mechanism of collectively-contractual adjustment in sociolabor sphere, by negotiations, consultations and arrangements, the conclusion of agreements and collective agreements are implemented the basic goals and the tasks standing today before social partners”, - Vasyl Nadraga told.

He, in particular, has informed that now in Ukraine is concluded and operates 93 branch and 29 regional agreements, and according to the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, as of March 31, 2011 as a whole across Ukraine 98 622 collective agreements are concluded and registered. That is by collective-contractual regulation of sociolabor relations it is covered above 8,9 million persons or 81,2% of accounting amount of permanent members of staff.

At the same time the official has noticed that potential possibilities of collective agreements and agreements still are insufficiently used for increase of production efficiency and competitiveness of economy. Therefore common efforts should be concentrated to effective provision of the right to the organization and conducting collective bargaining by enhancement of system of collective-contractual regulation of sociolabor relations.