Bulgaria: Union celebrates 33 years, elects new leaders

The Federation "Construction, Industry and Water Supply" (FCIW)-PODKREPA held its 11th National Conference last 27 April 2023 in Sofia, Bulgaria. The union re-elected Ioannis Parteniotis as president and Jordan Jordanov as deputy president. It also elected three federal secretaries namely, Martin Dimitrov, Plamena Parteniotis, and Teodora Suhorukova. 

140 representatives from national, European, and international unions, as well as 28 foreign guests, attended the event. The delegates came from Belgium, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Lebanon, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Switzerland, and Turkey.

Speaking on behalf of BWI, Jasmin Redzepovic, BWI Assistant Education Secretary, congratulated Ioanis Parteniotis and the rest of the newly-elected leaders of the union.  He also thanked the union for “signing, enhancing, and maintaining” the branch collective agreements covering the country’s workers in the road, construction, and water utility industries. These agreements, he said, have guaranteed greater rights and better working conditions for union members and workers for more than three decades. 

The conference commemorated the union's 33rd anniversary wherein the value of international relations and cooperation among sister unions on a global scale was emphasised. The union also expressed its solidarity with workers worldwide and hoped for greater unity.