General Collective Agreement signed

The Cabinet signed a tripartite general collective agreement on social and economic policy and social and labor relations in 2014-2015. The text of the document is not particularly different from the previous two-year agreement, under which also was signed by the leaders of trade union confederations of employers 6th March 2012.

Four months late, the general collective agreement provides for a number of parties' obligations in the field of economic policy until the end of 2015, wages, living standards and incomes, the labor market and employment, strengthening social protection and labor rights.

Most of the articles of the agreement came from the old document. For example, the parties pledged that they would consult with the government's decision on tariffs and prices of state-regulated goods and services. However, late last year, the government raised retail fuel prices, which have learned at the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) and the Confederation of Trade Unions of Azerbaijan from the media. Formally provided are regular negotiations between the parties on the implementation of the requirements of this agreement. However, the parties never informed about these meetings.

The document is no word on why the commitments were not fulfilled. Like two years ago, the parties declare to be signed in the framework of cooperation with the International Labour Organization (ILO), the State program on decent work, align ILO Convention number 131 the concept of "minimum wage" and indexing it to inflation.

Under the agreement, Azerbaijan's GDP will grow in 2014-2015, respectively, 4.3% and 6.5%, industry - 2.2 and 2.9%. Incomes of the population will grow by 6.8% and 6.6%.

Azerbaijan is probably one of the few countries in the CIS and Europe, where there are no sectoral (tariff) agreements based on the General Collective Agreement. Trade union organizations, as well as the Confederation of Entrepreneurs are loyal to the government and have no influence in society. The Confederation of Trade Unions has never protested against the low level of protection of labor rights, and organization for entrepreneurs, expressed no relation to the high level of monopolization and unfair competition on the part of the oligarchy. - 08D-