Experience of Azerbaijan’s trade unions important for Ukraine

Experience of Azerbaijan’s trade unions in the agricultural sector is important for Ukraine, Grygorii Osovyi, president of the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine (FPU), said in an interview with Report’s Eastern Europe Bureau.

“The previous system of management in the agricultural sector was based on state and collective farm-cooperative property. Then the trade unions felt confident. After the proclamation of independence and the denationalization of this property, the agricultural sector became predominantly private property, so it is necessary to establish cooperation with a private investor and an owner. It is necessary to build relations with numerous companies that are involved in the agro-industrial complex. It is also important that we, in Ukraine, are implementing a land reform. A corresponding law has been adopted. This will change the activities of companies in the agricultural sector - a land market will appear, and land owners will change through new conditions in this market. This is not the case in Azerbaijan,” Osovyi said.

He noted that Ukraine will face a difficult period - how to go through this transformation and not lose the influence of trade unions in the context of land reform.

“A rather sharp political struggle is taking place, in particular, in the Ukrainian parliament, where some of the deputies categorically reject the land reform due to the prospect of acquiring it into property by foreign owners. This creates instability for those who live in the countryside, because the owners can resell land plots. As far as I know, there is no such thing in Azerbaijan. Therefore, experience of the trade unions of Azerbaijan, as well as of other states where similar processes have already taken place, is important for us,” he added.