Bulgaria: “My First Workplace” Campaign

The educational campaign of the Confederation of Independent Trade Union in Bulgaria (CITUB) My First Workplace was launched on 5 November 2011. Besides CITUB, participants in the campaign are also the Ministry of Education, Youth and Science, the Union of Bulgarian Teachers and Youth Forum 21st Century, heads of schools and school graduates.

The campaign is directed towards secondary-school graduates. It aims to enhance the civil consciousness of the students; to facilitate their transition from school to the labour market; to stimulate their successful adaptation to the world of labour; to promote their career development; to inform the students about different measures against the shadow economy (work without an employment contract, etc.).

For two school years (2011-2012 and 2012-2013) 95 856 graduates have been trained within the frames of the campaign. They acquired basic knowledge concerning their labour and social rights: finding work, starting work, necessary documents, remuneration, working time, health and safety at work, social security contributions, quitting work, work abroad, etc.

Manuals for the graduates and the teachers were worked out; a site was elaborated: http://mfwp.labour-bg.net; 9 subject leaflets were published, on the following topics: “I want to go to work”, “I’m beginning work”, “My work remuneration”, “Protection from risks at the workplace and in life – compulsory insurance”, “Working time, breaks and leaves – can I manage them alone and how?”, “Safe and qualified work – whom it depends on?”, “Once I start working, can I change anything? How can I quit if I don’t like something?”, “Who follows the observation of the workers’ rights? Where and how can I find him/them?”, “Working abroad is interesting. Are there any rules?”. Also there is an attractive youth video on the topic and it can be seen here.

The second aspect of the campaign is connected with organising informational youth campaigns at regional level by the members and volunteers of Youth Forum 21st Century.

The campaign is approved by the Ministry of Education and Science and is included in the school graduates’ curriculum. It is the first initiative of its kind and promotes decent work performance of young people entering the labour market.

The campaign was also supported and partially financed by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation