In connection with the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Confederation of Trade Unions of Azerbaijan, in accordance with the plan of events approved by the Republican Committee of the Free Trade Union of Azerbaijan Education Workers, a zonal conference was held in the city of Lankaran on the topic
“ATUC 30: A look at the history of the trade union movement and future prospects”.
Mirza Jafarzadeh, Deputy Chairman of the Republican Committee of Free Trade Unions of Azerbaijan Education Workers, Emil Rustamov, Head of the Organization Department, Elkhan Najafov, Head of the Lankaran-Astara Regional Education Department, district committee chairmen and trade union activists participated in the conference. It started with silent remembrance.
He delivered a wide-ranging report on the establishment of the trade union movement in Azerbaijan and its historical development path at the conference. He said that trade unions have gone through a great historical path and passed a number of tests. From time to time, it established its status with the reforms carried out by ensuring sustainable development according to the requirements of the time, updated legal mechanisms, and with its humane position as a provider of social partnership, it managed to gain great influence in every society. From the time of its existence until today, it has provided services to ensure the successful implementation of this mission, keeping the function of the defender of the rights of laborers in hand.
At the founding congress held on February 5, 1993, the Council of Trade Unions of Azerbaijan left itself and transferred its powers to the Confederation of Azerbaijan Trade Unions of the confederal type. With the establishment of this organization, the administrative-administrative methods of trade unions were put to an end, and the powers of field trade unions were returned to themselves. In 1993, when Great Leader Heydar Aliyev returned to the leadership of the country at the request of the people, radical changes took place in the life of public organizations, including trade unions, as in all fields, and opportunities to intervene in public processes within their powers increased. As a sign of the value given by the Great Leader to the democratically developing civil society, in 1994, under the personal initiative and supervision of the Great Leader, the law “On Trade Unions” was adopted for the first time in the former post-Soviet space in Azerbaijan. With this, the activities of the organization expanded, its reputation was restored, the number of members began to increase, and free and independent opportunities opened up for it as a public organization.
M.Jafarzade noted that Mr. Ilham Aliyev, who was elected as the head of state in 2003, continued the political course of the Great Leader and made great achievements in all areas of our country’s life. Every citizen of Azerbaijan began to feel this in his life in a short period of time, including opening up new opportunities for trade unions: “Our Honorable President is always interested in the activities of ATUC, sends congratulatory letters to its congresses, gives valuable recommendations, and awards trade union figures and activists with state awards.
It also highly appreciates the role of trade unions in the field of protecting people’s economic and social interests and labor rights. The democratic environment established in our country under the leadership of our head of state Mr. Ilham Aliyev, the high attitude towards human rights and freedoms, and the high support given to the development of civil society open wide opportunities for the free and independent activity of ATUC. We can proudly say that, in accordance with the Great Leader’s recommendations, trade unions today act as defenders of the rights of Azerbaijani citizens involved in the labor process in all enterprises operating in our country, including organizations working with foreign investment, adapting working conditions to modern standards in transnational campaigns, solving social problems and it operates more consistently and purposefully using new methods and tools in the field of ensuring labor rights.
Also, active work is being done in the direction of regulation of labor relations, protection of labor rights of workers, organization of their social protection, free time, establishment of labor relations between enterprise managers and workers on a normal course, elimination of possible conflicts, protection of legal interests of workers.” At the end of his speech, M. Jafarzade expressed his confidence and said that ATUC will continue to unite closely around the head of our state, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, and will be effective in protecting the labor, social, economic rights and legal interests of trade union members.
Then at the conference, Elkhan Najafov, head of the Lankaran-Astara Regional Education Department, Yagut Alasgarova, chairman of the Salyan district committee of the Azerbaijan Education Workers Free Trade Unions, and Azer Alekbarov, chairman of the Yardimli district committee, spoke about the development path of ATUC.
At the end of the event, honorary degrees were presented to trade union activists in connection with the 30th anniversary of ATUC.