About KVPU

CONFEDERATION OF FREE TRADE UNIONS OF UKRAINE (KVPU):

  • Created on December 23, 1998.
  • Since November 2003 – a member of the International Confederation of Trade Unions.
  • On April 26, 2012, the National Mediation and Conciliation Service, by its decision No. 015/12-00-P, recognized the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine as representative.

The Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine includes:

  • Independent trade union of miners of Ukraine (NPSU),
  • All-Ukrainian Trade Union “Protection of justice“,
  • Free Trade Union of Railway Workers of Ukraine (VZU),
  • Free Trade Union of Education and Science of Ukraine (VPONU),
  • Free Trade Union of Medical Workers of Ukraine (VMPPU),
  • All-Ukrainian Trade Union “Native Land”,
  • Free trade union of entrepreneurs of Ukraine (VPPU),
  • Trade union-association of flight staff of civil aviation of Ukraine (PALS ),
  • Association of Motor Carriers of Ukraine,
  • Free trade union of able-bodied disabled people,

as well as confederations of free trade unions of fifteen regions of Ukraine.

According to the Statute of the KVPU, it is built on a confederal basis and operates on the basis of:

  • solidarity of member organizations;
  • unity in achieving the goal and tasks of the KVPU;
  • clarity and collegiality in the work of governing bodies;
  • personal responsibility for the implementation of the adopted decisions.

Characteristic features and differences of trade unions – members of the KVPU – are that:

  • You can become a member of the KVPU only after personally submitting an application to join the trade union;
  • independence from state bodies and employers;
  • prohibition of membership in the KVPU of employers and owners of enterprises;
  • cooperation with other public organizations and political parties only on a parity basis;
  • formation of the financial base at the expense of trade union membership fees.

The activities of the KVPU and its member organizations are carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of Ukraine, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations, the conventions of the International Labor Organization, other current legislation of Ukraine, as well as the principles of the International Confederation of Trade Unions.

The main achievements of KVPU over the past five years are:

  • admission to its membership of two new branch trade unions – the All-Ukrainian Trade Union “Native Land” and the Free Trade Union of Entrepreneurs of Ukraine;
  • confirmation of the representativeness of the KVPU at the all-Ukrainian level, and the trade unions included in it – at the branch and regional level;
  • active struggle against the adoption of the Labor Code of Ukraine during the entire period, which did not allow the authorities to adopt this odious document;
  • successful defense of the interests of employees of various industries and regions in the courts, reinstatement of illegally dismissed trade union members at work and their receipt of funds for forced absenteeism and inflicted moral damage;
  • a number of successful protest actions.

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What are trade unions (trade unions)?

A trade union is a voluntary public organization that unites workers in accordance with their interests, spheres of activity to protect the labor, social and economic interests of trade union members.
All over the world, trade unions are the basis of civil society and mutually beneficial cooperation between employer and employee. It is trade unions and their pro-worker position that are a powerful lever in the struggle for workers’ rights.

In Ukraine, as in the whole world, trade unions are not only a buffer between the employer and the worker, butand lobby for the interests of employees in the state. Using social levers, trade unions cooperate with other public and political organizations to achieve their goals.

Trade unions around the world have the opportunity to unite on geographical, sectoral or other principles for broad and fruitful cooperation, protection of workers’ rights and the development of a democratic, public society and the development of social dialogue.

The Constitution of Ukraine defines that “professional unions are public organizations uniting citizens linked by common interests by the nature of their professional activity. Trade unions are formed without prior permission based on the free choice of their members. All trade unions have equal rights.”

In addition to the Constitution of Ukraine, the activity of trade unions is also regulated by the Code of Labor Laws and separate laws: “On trade unions, their rights and guarantees of activity”, “On collective agreements and agreements”, “On association of citizens”.

“Citizens have the right to participate in trade unions in order to protect their labor and socio-economic rights and interests. Professional unions are public organizations uniting citizens bound by common interests by the nature of their professional activity. No one can be forced to join any association of citizens or have their rights restricted due to belonging or not belonging to political parties or public organizations.”

Art. 36 of the Constitution of Ukraine


Distinction of free trade unions

The Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine (FTU) is the legal successor of the Association of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine (FTU), which was formed at the constituent congress of the Free Trade Unions of Ukraine on June 12, 1997.

At the extraordinary congress of the OVPU, which took place on December 23, 1998, the organization was renamed the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine. But organizationally and functionally, the KVPU dates back to the end of the 80s of the last century, when the independent trade union movement was revived in Ukraine, as in almost all republics of the former USSR.

The first independent trade unions in Ukraine arose against the background of acute labor conflicts, primarily in the mining and transport industries, where work is the most dangerous and responsible. It was in these industries that local strikes began already in 1988, and soon mass demonstrations. Independent trade unions were born as workers’ associations of a higher organizational level compared to strike committees.

This corresponded to the transition from spontaneous workers’ demonstrations to a permanent, systematic and diverse form (strikes and other protest actions, collective negotiations and the adoption of collective agreements and agreements, lawsuits, appeals to international institutions, etc.) of wage workers’ struggle for their rights and interests. One of the effective forms of such struggle was the solidarity support of independent trade unions of workers in various industries and regions of Ukraine.

The principle position declared by the KVPU is that the interests of employees are “above all else” for the organization.

KVPU accepts into its ranks any independent Ukrainian trade unions, both established on a professional or sectoral basis, as well as local and their associations of various levels – from local to all-Ukrainian.

The historical prerequisites of the Ukrainian trade union movement, the unstable political and economic situation in the country have created contradictory conditions on the territory of Ukraine, under which several trade union associations, instead of cooperation and joint struggle for workers’ rights, are forced to compete with each other for one reason or another.

Therefore, today the Ukrainian trade union network is conventionally divided into “old” trade unions, “free” trade unions and “yellow” trade unions (created by employers).
When talking about old trade unions, they talk about the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine (FPU), which is a descendant of the Soviet monopoly trade union.

Together with the stigma of the “pro-Soviet” trade union, the FPU inherited complex corrupt work schemes and pathological inseparability from the interests of the state and the employer. These old trade unions are followed by a whole train of scandals, which has a negative impact not only on the activities of the FPU, but also on the authority of trade unions in general.

Free trade unions are the first steps of an independent Ukrainian public to create an effective and independent trade union movement from corrupt authorities to protect workers’ interests.

The main difference between free trade unions is that they were not created by the state and not for the state. Free trade unions in Ukraine emerged from the first labor strikes and were created by the workers themselves and for the workers.

Old and free trade unions are distinguished by ideology. The ideology of free trade unions provides for freedom from political and corrupt interests, transparency, transparent activity on a democratic basis.
Free trade unions do not depend on the interests of employers and politicians, do not affect religionpolitical, ideological and other freedoms of its members.

Always open to cooperation and dialogue, but do not compromise their principles in the fight for the rights of people who are employed.
Free trade unions, like no other organization, in every possible way support freedom of speech, transparent social policy, decent economic and working conditions of life in society.
The main task of free trade unions, trade unions of the new European democratic type, is to convey to the working people the ideology of freedom, the ideology of justice, the ideology of solidarity. After all, no one will defend the rights of a person when he himself will not do it. Therefore, it is now the main mission of the trade unions – to change the consciousness of the employed people so that they understand that they must fight for their rights.
It is often said that free trade unions are always in conflict, always in struggle and contradictions, but this is a sign that the trade union is effective. When everything is quiet and peaceful in the trade union, there are no problems – it is not a trade union but a bureaucratic nest, where passes to the sanatorium are distributed to “their own” and managers buy cars for themselves with membership fees.

Principles of trade unions

The mission of trade unions is to create a civil society, to protect the rights of employees, to defend the social rights of citizens.

A strike is a last resort when other means have been exhausted. When resolving collective conflicts, free trade unions prefer negotiation procedures, conclusion of collective agreements, which include all points that are not provided for in the current legislation and have their own characteristics at a specific enterprise. If the employer does not fulfill the agreements made in this agreement, only then comes the second stage – the stage of struggle.

An important point of public pressure is interaction with mass media. Representatives of the fourth power (journalists) and trade unionists together effectively influence the position of the government and the employer. Such cooperation and openness of trade unions is the key to success in work.


Three main principles define free, democratic trade unions:

The first principle is independence. This means that the trade union is independent of state authorities and officials.

The second principle is self-government. This principle is stipulated by the Law “On Public Associations” and is expressed in the right of trade unions to independently adopt their statutes and regulate their internal activities.

The third principle is voluntary association. This principle is ensured by the legislation on trade unions, Article 7 of the law and the Law “On Public Associations”.


The characteristic features of the KVPU trade unions are:

  • performance of the true functions of trade unions to protect the rights and interests of employees;
  • independence from state bodies and employers;
  • ban on membership in trade unions of employers and enterprise owners;
  • cooperation with other public organizations and political parties only on a parity basis.
The KVPU trade unions operate on the basis of social partnership and tripartism, cooperate with state executive authorities and employers’ associations, take an active part in negotiations regarding General, sectoral and regional agreements and collective agreements.

Forms of trade union activity

  • Signing agreements and collective tripartite agreements with employers and the state regarding compliance with obligations regarding working conditions, payment, etc. In this case, the state is the guarantor of compliance with the obligations assumed by trade unions and employers. The main of these agreements is the General Tariff Agreement, which is signed annually by the most influential professional associations and trade unions, representatives of Ukrainian employers and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
  • Lobbying the interests of trade unions in state authorities, first of all, in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The trade unions are seeking changes in such fundamental issues as establishing the size of the living wage, the poverty line, the size of the minimum wage, pension, etc.
  • Protection of the rights and interests of its members in judicial authorities in matters of labor relations and pre-trial conciliation procedures.
  • Protest actions, which are extreme measures and are used in conditions when other possibilities of protection of workers have been exhausted. Protest actions can be held without stopping work in order to draw the employer’s attention to unresolved problems (open collective appeals, rallies, picketing, production of products without permission to ship them to consumers, etc.) and with a stoppage of work (strike) when direct losses are caused to the employer.< /li>

Guide

Mykhailo Vlynets

Mykhailo Yakovych Volynets

Head of the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine, the Independent Trade Union of Mineworkers of Ukraine

He was born on October 30, 1956 in the village of Novozhivotov, Illinetsky district, Vinnytsia region, in a peasant family with many children. Father – Volynets Yakiv Kupriyanovych, mother – Volynets Frosina Fadiivna. He has two children – a son and a daughter.

After graduating from secondary school, M. Volynets in 1974-1975 studied at a mining vocational school in the city of Dymitrov, Donetsk region. Then he was called up for military service. Reserve officer.

After demobilization, from 1977 to 1983 he worked as an underground electrician at the mine named after O. Stakhanova V.O. “Red Army Coal”. He graduated from the Communarsky Mining and Metallurgical Institute and obtained the specialty of electromechanical mining engineer. After graduation, he worked as a mining foreman, assistant chief of the district and chief of the district at the mine named after O. Stakhanov. Since 1983, M. Volynets was elected as a deputy of the Krasnoarmie City Council of People’s Deputies for two convocations. In 1985, he was elected chairman of the trade union committee of the mine named after O. Stakhanov. In 1989, during a wave of strikes in mining collectives, M. Volynets was again re-elected as the head of the trade union committee, which was a very rare case at that time. In 1991, following the decision of the second congress of miners of the USSR, M. Volynets created the primary organization of the Independent Trade Union of Mineworkers at the mine. O. Stakhanov with a population of 7,500 people. In the same year, he headed the Interregional Association of the NPG, which included about a third of all members of the NPG in Ukraine. In June 1991, M. Volynets was the organizer of the founding conference of the Independent Trade Union of Mineworkers of Ukraine, which was held in the city of Dymitrov, but he refused to head the trade union at that time, preferring to work on strengthening the Interregional Association of the NPG. When NPSU found itself in a crisis situation and its number decreased by a third, in February 1995, at the second congress of NPSU, M. Volynets, at the insistence of his colleagues, agreed to head the trade union. He was also successively re-elected to the position of the head of the NPSU at the third and fourth congresses. In 1997, the All-Ukrainian Association of Free Trade Unions (now the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine) was created with the participation of NPSU, headed by M. Volynets. In 2004, Mykhailo Volynts, as the head of the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine, was awarded the George Meany and Lane Kirkland human rights award of the American Federation of Labor – Confederation of Manufacturing Trade Unions (AFP-KVP) “For self-sacrifice, courage and leadership in the defense of human rights.” M. Volynets transferred the funds from this award to independent trade unions.

Mykhailo Yakovych Volynets was also a People’s Deputy of Ukraine of the 4th, 5th and 6th convocations and deputy chairman of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on fuel and energy complex issues, nuclear policy and nuclear safety. The most cherished dream of Mykhailo Volynets is for the day to come when all the workers of the world will put an end to poverty and fear, and achieve a better and safer life for themselves and their families with the help of strong, solidary trade unions. He was awarded the Order of Merit of the 3rd degree and the “Miner’s Glory” of the 2nd and 3rd degrees.

Write:
Mykhailo.volynets@gmail.comPages in social networks:

 

Volodymyr KozelskyKozelsky Volodymyr Volodymyrovych </strong >

Deputy Chairman of the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine

Head of the Free Trade Union of Railway Workers of Ukraine

Member of the Permanent Commission on Legality, Law and Order, Regulations, Deputy Activities, Ethics, Toponymy and Control of the Activities of Council Executive Bodies.

He was born on August 18, 1962 in Kozyatyn, Vinnytsia Region.

In 1969, he entered the first grade of Secondary School No. 2 in Kozyatyn. In 1977, he entered the Kozyatyn Vocational and Technical School No. 5. In 1980, he completed the full course of the said school with the specialty “railway wagon inspector”. In 1980-1982 served in the ranks of the Soviet Army.

Since 1983 after 2004 worked in various positions in the structural divisions of the South-Western Railway. During his work, he studied at higher educational institutions without breaking away from production. Received a higher education in the specialty of lawyer.

Since 2001 after 2005 headed the Free Trade Union of the Kozyatyn Directorate of Railway Transportation.

In 2005, he was elected to the post of deputy chairman of the Union of Free Trade Unions of Railway Workers of Ukraine.

At 20In 2007, he was elected the head of the Kyiv territorial trade union organization of the Free Trade Union of Railway Workers of Ukraine of the South-Western Railway.

In 2011, he was elected the first deputy head of the Free Trade Union of Railway Workers of Ukraine (VPZU). Currently in at. head of the VPZU.

From 2006 to the present, a deputy of the Kozyatyn city council of the Vinnytsia region.

Natalia Levytska

Levytska Natalia Anatolyivna

Deputy Chairman of the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine

She was born on August 13, 1978 in Luhansk region. In 2000, she graduated from the Donbas Mining and Metallurgical Institute, majoring in “Organizational Management” and received the qualification of “manager-economist”. She started working in 2000 in the executive office of the Independent Trade Union of Mineworkers of Ukraine.

Since 2008, he has been the head of the department of social and labor relations of the KVPU.

In June 2009, at the KVPU women’s conference, she was elected deputy head of the KVPU Committee for the Protection of Women’s Rights and Gender Equality.

In March 2011, at the regular congress of the All-Ukrainian trade union “Protection of Justice”, she was elected deputy chairman. Member of the Women’s Committee of VERS (All-European Regional Council).

 

Panasenko VPMPU

Oleg Oleksandrovich Panasenko

Deputy Chairman of the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine
Head of the Free Trade Union of Medical Workers of Ukraine

1998 – 2009 – doctor-surgeon of the Kamian-Dniprovka Central District Hospital of the Zaporizhzhia region, 1st attestation category in the specialty of surgery.

2005 – 2009 – head of the Independent Trade Union Organization of Medical Workers of the Kamian-Dnipro Central District Hospital “Eskulap”.
From 2006 to 2011, he was a deputy of the Kamyansk-Dniprovsk District Council of the fifth convocation.
Since January 2009, he has been the head of the Free Trade Union of Medical Workers of Ukraine.

StratanStratan Viktor Ivanovich
Head of the All-Ukrainian Trade Union “Defense of Justice”

He was born on March 11, 1953 in the village of Kamiane, Anthracite, Luhansk region. After graduating from an 8-year school in Kamiany, he went to study at a technical school in Rostov-on-Don. After his graduation, he served in the army in 1972-1974.

In 1974-1979, he studied at the Komunar Mining and Metallurgical Institute of the Luhansk region, majoring in “engineering technology, machine tools and tools”. After graduating from university, he worked as a technologist, deputy head, shop manager of the Etalon plant in Anthracite, Luhansk region, a teacher at the Anthracite Mining Technical School, an engineer at the Space Communications Station in Gus-Khrustalny, and head of the design bureau of the Yunist plant in Krasnodon.

In 1992, he started working at the Talivska mine in Krasnodon as an underground electrician. There he was elected the deputy head of the primary organization of the NPSU.

Since 2003, he has been the head of the organizational department of the Independent Trade Union of Mineworkers of Ukraine and the department of socio-economic relations and development of trade unions of the KVPU.

Since 2005 – Chairman of the Central Council of the All-Ukrainian Trade Union “Defense of Justice”. On March 1, 2001, he was elected as the head of the “Protection of Justice” VPC.

TuleyTULEI Petro Petrovich

Deputy Chairman of the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine

Head of KMO KVPU

Born on September 8, 1957 in Vinnytsia region. After graduating from high school in 1974, he worked as a driver at the Kyiv river port, from where he was drafted into the army in 1975. From 1977 to 1981, he studied at the Kyiv Higher Naval School. After his graduation, he served in the Pacific Fleet. In 1987-1990 he studied at the military academy in Moscow. In 1998, he retired from the armed forces and worked in various commercial structures in Kyiv. head of the Kyiv City Association of the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine.

Member of KVPU since 2011. Head of the PPO of Furniture-Plus LLC of the All-Ukrainian trade union “Protection of Justice”.

 

Foundation

Fundovny Volodymyr Vasyliovych

Deputy Chairman of the Confederation of Free Peopletheir trade unions of Ukraine
Head of the Free Trade Union of Education and Science of Ukraine

He was born on July 3, 1954 in the city of Kirovohrad in a family of teachers. In 1971 he graduated from secondary school No. 4 in the city of Kirovohrad. During 1971-1972, he worked as a fitter at a factory of radio products. In 1972-1974 he served in the army. In 1974-1979, he studied at the Kirovohrad Pedagogical Institute named after O.S. Pushkin at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics.
After graduation, he worked as a mathematics teacher in secondary school No. 1 in Kirovohrad. From 1981 to 1985, he worked as an engineer at a factory of radio products. In 1985-1987, he was a mathematics teacher at SPTU No. 8, and since 1987, he was a mathematics teacher at comprehensive school No. 31. In 1991, he graduated from the Moscow Pedagogical Institute. In 1995, he was elected as the head of the Free Trade Union of Education and Science of Ukraine.