Zhelyazko Hristov, President of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) and Giannis Panagopoulos, President of the General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE), signed Thursday in Athens a cooperation protocol, CITUB said in a press release.

The two trade unions will interact in the creation of interregional trade union councils and information centres, in the provision of trade union consultancy services, in vocational training and re-training, among others. GSEE's Institute of Labour, INE, and CITUB's Institute for Social and Trade Union Research will cooperate by conducting joint research and exchange of know-how.

In Athens the Bulgarian trade unionists conferred with Greek Minister for Employment and Social Protection Fani Palli-Petralia and Minister for Health and Social Solidarity Dimitris Avramopoulos about developments with Bulgarian Kostadina Kouneva, 44, who was splashed with acid by two unidentified men in Athens around midnight on December 23 when she was going home from work. The two Greek officials assured the Bulgarian guests that Greece does its best for the successful recovery of the woman, noting that their country covers all costs for her treatment and rehabilitation.

The CITUB officials once again urged for additional investigations to find and punish the perpetrators of the assault against Kouneva.

Palli-Petralia said that amendments are to be passed to the Greek labour legislation to strengthen the control exercised by the labour inspectorate.

Kouneva is a Secretary of the Union of Cleaners and Domestic Help Workers in the Attica Periphery. According to the organization's Deputy Chair Vasso Tsouni and as alleged by the victim's relatives, before the assault against her Kouneva had received serious threats over her trade-union activities targeted against employers who do not pay social insurance for their employees.

Source: BTA