Study circle KNSB (Julia Simeonova)

The Bulgarian Preparatory Session has been organised with the invitation of several branch federations of KNSB which have their structures in/or near Sofia, because of lack of money for the implementation of the Pilot 2. It has been carried out on March 19, 1998. In the next session we will include representatives of other TNSs, located outside Sofia as well.

During the first meeting we had the following agenda:

Aims:
The aims of the ISC have been presented by Plamen Dimitrov - facilitator of the first Pilot. He has continued:

What is this course about?
describing the involved organisations and the results on the base of the distributed report. It has been interesting for the involved participants to understand more about their Bulgarian colleagues and the strengthening of their influence using the new information and skills.

The second part: how an international study circle works and what is expected from each group has been made by Julia who has provided also a practical demonstration of the running of the first pilot programme and the available materials which will be translated and given to each participant.

Getting to know each other has been organised in a form of questions and answers.

What have we understood for our participants:

1. Mrs. Silvia Kovacheva, M.Sc. is a machine engineer employed in the Technological Department of Hyundai Elprom Trafo Co., Sofia. She is social oriented person and has been nominated and elected an year ago to become a Secretary of the trade union organisation. Silvia is using English and has PC skills. She likes to read books and has the willingness to use INTERNET.

She expects to get more information connected with the trade union experience of the colleagues in the other countries, especially in Asia, but is looking forward to understand more about their living standard, expectations and thinking.

 

2. Mr. Ivan Daptchev has graduated Polytechnic school. Since one year he is a president of the Hyundai Elprom Trafo Co. grass-roots trade union organisation. The registration of the TNC has happened on 6.11.1997. From 1000 employed 296 are KNSB members. Till now he has asked to get more information about the signed contract, the business plan, the balance sheet etc. but without any result. Now he expects to receive the needed information and to know more about the other affiliates of Hyundai. He wants to be able to undertake the relevant action in order to represent and protect the rights of the employed. When Ivan is not working he is fishing and enjoying the wonderful Bulgarian nature.

 

3. Mr. Dragomir Gueorguiev is engineer in sugar and sugar by-products, research fellow, co-ordinator for Sofia, head of Technological Department of Zacharoimpex-Service. His firm is not TNC, but during the period of enlargement of TNCs influence it has lost two affiliates which have become transnational - Nestle and CJS. Dragomir is interested to get more clear picture how TNCs are acting and how to develop strategies co-operation with them.

 

4. Ms. Elena Michailova is an Expert of Trade Union Federation "Metalicy". She has presented her colleagues who will be real participants in the Bulgarian study circle group but who were not able to attend the first meeting.

 

During the planning of the work has been agreed:

Next session will take place in the same hall at 9.00 on March, 31, 1998. It will last at least 2,5 hours.

Provided materials:

• Words and their meaning - read and discussed.
• TNCs or MNCs? A note on terminology - read and discussed
• Some Powerful Facts about TNCs
• What are the TNCs?
• The enlargement of the TNCs