"EPU's Project: The Minimum Standards for Maximal Security"
7 years TUFEMI - 7000 members TUFEMI
On 15.02.2016 the Trade Union Federation of the Employees in the Ministry of Interior (TUFEMI) celebrates the 7th anniversary of its establishment. Founded in 2009, currently is the trade union organization in the Security Sector with the highest number of members in Bulgaria. For these 7 years, the Federation has acieved numerous changes within the Ministry of Interior and has increased the social, economic and labour rights of the employees. TUFEMI has protected the dignity of the Ministry of Interior’s employees, supporting them beyond the trade union’s mission. TUFEMI has been actively involved in discussions with institutions and employers, mostly ministers and directors. For all these 7 years the Federation has been actively encouraging the change in the status quo and has been working for the increasing MoI’s employees’ motivation. TUFEMI developed its activities beyond the system. TUFEMI founded the “Society and Safety” Foundation, which aim is to change the attitude of citizens towards MoI’s employees and to build relations of mutual trust and partnership between citizens and employees and to create a high-quality "civil security" service for all.
Another objective of the newly-established Foundation is the involvement of the citizens in Ministry of Interior’s reforming and all stakeholders. The Foundation aimes to develop local strategies for public order and security at local, regional and national level. TUFEMI co-organized a workshop in the European Parliament, named "Security – a key to the future of Europe". The idea of the Minimum Standards about police officers’ equipment, education and motivation within the European Union was presented there, highlighting the fact that currently European security sector faces severe challenges.
Now, we can say we overcame the first seven years from our development and especially we proved that we did it together, because "Together we can achieve more".
TUFEMI
TUFEMI delegation visited Sports Festivalof Sindikat policije Hrvatske
Мeeting EPU - Umag Croatia
TUFEMI
Gerrit van de Kamp: president European Police Union (EPU)
The European Police Union is an independent trade union for police unions from all across Europe. The members of the EPU jointly represent over 700,000 police officials. The EPU's main goal is to improve cooperation between the various European police unions in the field of public order and security. This calls the EPU to focus on police-specific themes which have immediate consequences for policing and the reinforcement and improvement of work-related issues, as well as the legal standing of police officials in a safe Europe.
The EPU monitors the processes of all its affiliated police unions as far as work and salaries are concerned. This includes developments within the police sector in Serbia, Moldova, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Lithuania, Latvia, Croatia and Hungary.
Due to our regulatory and unifying position, as well as input from our members, we are perfectly aware of all security-related developments that take place in Europe as well as any concerning/relevant bottlenecks.
We feel it is very important to convey our vision on this front.
Each and every day, we see, hear and feel how our society is becoming a more unwelcoming place. Civilians are protesting against the higher costs of living, cutbacks in social security, poverty and corruption in our countries, and are turning their backs on Europe - a Europe where the gap between rich and poor continues to grow....More
TUFEMI
On 08 April 2015, at Regional Directorat "Border Police" -Elhovo, a regional protest is organized. It will starts at 12 o'clock.
Many unresolved problems became a reason for the protest, but the most important are:
1. The payment and reporting of the first and last day of the posting and the consequent problems with the total number of hours for the period.
2. The use of same vehicles for transportation of the workers and the persons who illegally have passed the National Border .
3. The lack of protective equipment and medical services.
4. The frequent posting of same employees from the same structures in a small time period / 15 days /
5. The working conditions as equipment, uniforms etc.
6. The delayed payment of allowances.
7. Carrying the service from one person at certain places.
TUFEMI
How many of you have witnessed the creation of a trade union? Do you know any newly created trade union of employees in the Ministry of Interior? In your opinion, what should happened to make sector “Security” organize themselves and create a new organization, that is an alternative to all currently existing? One of the reasons is that often verbal flood drown the truth, because of which we have started talking in first place. Another reason is that often during the process of talking, it changes or the dialogue turns into criticism, ending in obsequiously laudation. Often laudation and criticism magically turn into excuses and the voice of the truth goes down, not so much from fear but from the feeling that there is no sense to be said. In the Bulgarian Interior Ministry we were detaining our truths, locked deep down in us, for years and we did not let them go out. For years, union leaders who had to defend our rights and fight for a decent working conditions and life, succumb to their instinct of self-preservation, which ingloriously push them to the roads of circumbendibus, weasel and redefined thoughts, in the mist that they have obligingly maintained, in order to able to escape. For years, the opportunities that were provided (very rare), which were about sharing our opinion, standing our position and speaking the truth, has been skipped on purpose. This did not solve any problems. This did not relieve the employees of the Ministry of Interior. This did not make the service with higher quality or the citizens more pleased of the functions of the law enforcement. On the contrary! This made our problems more serious, deepened them to a very high level and caused spontaneous resentment of the employees of the Ministry of Interior, passed naturally through self-organization and the creation of the trade union. The year is 2009! TUFEMI / Trade Union Federation of the Employees in the Ministry of Interior / was created! The federation has been created, because there was a need of solution to many problems. Before we started searching for their solutions, we had to introduce them to the public… and we had to give a start to a real and effective social dialogue. The reality brought us to the necessity of the appearance of new subject or more specifically new content in the trade union of the employees in the Ministry of Interior in Republic of Bulgaria. Because of the accumulated tension among the employees in the Ministry of Interior in Bulgaria, there were held several unauthorized protest of policemen, firemen, rescuers in December 2008… The analysis of the situation about police protests shows conclusively that among the policemen has accumulated a lot of stress. The reasons about that are all these problems that has been hiding for years and now come to the fore, at worst in terms of government time. It sounds ironic how in our neighbor country Greece anarchists rampaged and in Bulgaria policemen were protesting using smoking, drinking water or making any other symbolic gestures. Another paradox was the fact that the signal for serious problems in MI came from inside rather than civil society. There is something deeply vicious and vile in believing that an enemy is anybody who thinks differently. We knew that sometimes it is too unpleasant, that people do not think like us, that often we are alone in our positions, but it is so satisfying when others come to us, because of their own belief, not because somebody forced them to do it or somebody told them, that this is the only right way. There is a big step from the human soul to the freedom of thought, from the freedom of though to freedom of speech – another step, a bigger one, and from the freedom of speech to the freedom of act - third step, even bigger one. So the freedom is a triple jump indeed, who wants a spiritual power. With these actions we passed our way this time. We did it with the desire to be a partner. We wanted to be a partner of a reforming Ministry of Interior and in favor of an actual civil society, which the Ministry of Interior is called to serve. TUFEMI “… After an eternity, waiting in vain, the Hope is back…” In fact, unconsciously and definitely impulsive assembly of disgruntled employees in Ministry of Interior in order to inform the civil society and political parties, that the system’s situation is critical, marked the beginning of TUFEMI. The hope that this was a whole new beginning, and the faith in its pureness and immaculacy, made from the Federation a very democratic organization. In my opinion it is unmatched and by formal rules and actual administration to any other in Bulgaria. Self organized protesting policemen become famous as “policemen from the forum”. Back in those days, all heavy organization went trough the Internet. We were supported morally and expertise of members of the national representative trade unions and employees’ organizations – Confederation of Labor “Podkrepa” and Union of Economic Initiative. We have created the conditions for change and we are not afraid of possible reprisals and adversity in official plan. As we were convinced that the knife is resting in the bone and with a clear reluctance to be crushed in this highly conservative at that time system, called Ministry of Interior. In our case, since the beginning we turned our backs to the founding principle of benefit, in terms of its purely physical aspect and we emphasized the change of the legal framework, considering labor workday of every employee of the Ministry of Interior. All of us remembered the time when being part of a trade union was associated with lower prices of calls, provided by the mobile operators, a little cheaper vacation and banquet in the end of the year… Because of the circumstances of incorporation of TUFEMI, we ignored these “fundamental” trade unions “treats”, led to the complete abortion of incomparably more important function, which we had to pursue, namely the corrective system and protection of the rights. TUFEMI perspective is to be a leading factor in the social dialogue! Our first challenge after “smoking” and “drinking water” was to not be remembered as only a “mass media” attraction, because the focus to the problems could be easily changed. To reach this aim TUFEMI has to organize, to strengthen, create a strong internal communication, needed for a better organization, because we want our individual members to be aware of what is going on, to create a new image of trade union activities in MI, to try to improve the image of the employee among people, to insure good communication with the media, to begin an active dialogue with the civil society, to receive and analyze the information that has been received, putting a place to the problems in our work and expectations of how the citizen is expected it to be, to obtain mutual trust and support. In parallel, it was absolutely necessary for us to take a position at European plan, so we could study the best practices of the old continent, to be able to search for solution about nationally problems with the leader European institutions, the opportunity to rely on their support and solidarity from similar to our organizations… Not least to take place in Ministry of Interior, as a principled opponent and why not a partner, trying to reach the aim MI to be a prestigious job and to be respected for their activities, with any relevant expertise, with opportunities to ensure the social peace or not (very important point when we talk about “burden” of a trade union). Practically the choice of a trade union should be determined by the value that it brings to its members and its prospect to be a leading factor in the social dialogue at the branch or at national level, again aiming to maximum protection of its social, economic and labor interest. At that point, each member of the Federation should be proud of..
TUFEMI
Meeting of the European Police Union
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