”Promoting labour rights and social dialogue through efficient implementation of Association Agenda in three countries of Eastern Partnership: Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine” – A high-level two-day conference was held in Tbilisi. It was organised by Georgian Trade Unions Confederation and supported by International Labour Organisation (ILO)
The status of implementation of Associate Agreement in Associate member states such as Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, main achievements and challenges in the field of labour were discussed at the Conference.
Georgian Trade Union Confederation presented the report on the situation in the country regarding labour rights, labour legislation, institutions and social dialogue.
Opinions regarding the progress and challenges of implementing the Associate Agreement were expressed at the Conference.
Among the issues to be discussed, there were issues concerning the impact of visa-free travel for citizens of Association Agreement countries on the status of labour migration and migrant rights.
They discussed the need for vocational education, migration, legal and illegal employment, youth unemployment, the role of trade unions on employment and the prospects for economic development in countries.
In his speech, Irakli Petriashvili – President of the Georgian Trade Unions Confederation, inter alia, referred to the labour safety and need of toughening regulations, he also highlighted the importance of promoting the vocational education.
The representatives of Georgian, Ukrainian and Moldavian Trade Unions Confederation, representatives of the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, as well as the President of Georgian Employers Association participated in the Conference.
Representatives of the Delegation of the European Union to Georgia, representatives of the Embassies of Moldova and Ukraine, representatives of the International Trade Union Confederation and the European Trade Union Confederation, as well as the officials of the International Labour Organisation also took part in the Conference.
At the end of the event, Trade Unions Confederations of Associate countries elaborated a joint communication to the European institutions, focusing on cooperation and necessary steps to be taken for the effective implementation of the social dimension of the Association Agreement in all three countries.
The Conference was organised by Georgian Trade Unions Confederation and supported by the International Labour Organisation.