The work of the trade union of the BSTU
The administration has the exclusive right to plan and maintain the university activity, including the determination of areas in academic and scientific work, dismissal or transfer of an employee, career promotion, professional development training of faculty and staff.
Nevertheless, the most important and relevant goals of our trade union are:
- enforcement of labor legislation;
- participation of workers through the trade union committee in the management of the institution;
- achievement of social partnership;
- organization of collective action.
The trade union committee of the university makes great efforts in various areas:
- the social sphere, which is of high priority;
- labor and academic sphere;
- safety and health;
- legal protection of workers and students;
- culture and health.
To work effectively, the university joint trade union committee set the following priorities:
- The optimization of the structure of the joint primary organization;
- The revitalization of the work of the trade union committee by expanding and renewing its staff;
- motivation and involvement in the organization of new members (the level of membership in the trade union organization has been increased from 80% of staff and 82% of students to 98% and 99% respectively);
- the development of the social passport of the University to identify socio-economic problems and to plan further work according to identified issues;
- The monitoring of working conditions and participation in the adoption of the Agreement on the improvement of conditions and labor protection;
- The development and joint work on the implementation of a collective agreement between the administration and the workforce of the university;
- Creation of the information base of the trade-union to report about its activity and attract the attention of employees and students of our and other universities to the trade union activity.
The joint trade union committee has regulated the work of full-time employees in accordance with official duties. The trade union committee regularly held meetings and arrange commissions:
- on housing and household issues;
- on media relations;
- on cultural and sports activity;
- on events organization;
- on social and labor issues and labor protection.
The university administration and trade union committee annually sign the Agreement on the improvement of labor conditions and safety in the university departments in order to Solve common tasks within the framework of the social partnership.
Along with this agreement, an organization of labor protection commissioners was created in the university, which includes representatives of the staff and the trade union committee of the university. They occasionally receive training at the expense of the university administration. Training in the basics of safety and labor protection has become an integral part of vocational training and professional development at the university.
The university administration takes all necessary measures for job preservation and full employment of employees in accordance with their profession and qualifications. Nevertheless, there are inevitable cases of dismissal of workers to reduce the number of staff, which are agreed with the trade union committee. The resolution of contentious issues requiring a substantive conclusion of a trade union body is submitted to trade union meetings, where personal statements of employees with the participation of the committee of the trade union committee on labor issues are also considered.
The standards of working and studying time are fulfilled completely and without violation of labor legislation, according to the curriculum.
The university trade union committee initiated the development of the "Social program to improve the quality of life of the staff and students of the university", which is based on the governor's program namely, "Program for improving the quality of life of the population of the Belgorod region." The university administration and the trade union committee defined its main provisions aimed at:
- the formation of favorable conditions for the self-actualization of each member of the staff and students of the university in the professional and social spheres, the implementation of targeted supporting programs for the social and economic development of the university;
- the creation of conditions for the mental and health well-being of the staff, university students, the shaping of moral norms and values.
In October 2013, our university adopted a collective agreement, developed by the trade union committee in collaboration with the administration. From 2004 to 2015, our university was registered three times in the regional Honors Board (2004, 2008, 2012) as a result of the assessment of the rates of socio-economic development. In 2014, the Trade Union of BSTU won the National competition for the best program of work "Course of success" in the category "Motivation of trade union membership." The target project "Trust" was awarded as the best target project.
When developing a framework of a new collective agreement with the aim of increasing social guarantees for the staff and the faculty of the university, the trade union committee proposed to the university administration:
- to increase the monthly allowance to non-working university retirees by 50%;
- on an equal base with the trade union committee, the university should allocate an annual one-time financial aid to single mothers and the employees of the university who have disabled children.
Because of the transition to a new system of labor remuneration, the new collective agreement have new provisions about the payment of stated above social benefits from the non-public funds of the university.
Along with this, the new collective agreement preserves all social guarantees for employees, such as:
- Unpaid leave for:
- employees with a disabled child;
- single mothers;
- single fathers;
- employees with 2 or more children;
- veterans of the Second World War and equated to them;
- working disabled people
- Onetime holiday because of family issues.
- Extra paid leave for:
- employees working in harmful and dangerous conditions;
- employees working overtime;
- veterans of the Second World War.
- The provision of long-term leave for teachers to complete their doctoral thesis.
- Employees are compensated in the amount of 50 % of dental services expenses.
- Trade union shares costs with the administration on New Year presents for the children of employees and students of the University,
- The treatment in the Health Centre, licensed by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. Equipment for the health screening is available for preventive examination of all of employees and students of the university. A chest photofluorography, flu vaccination of students and employees is carried out every year.
The collective agreement focuses on work with veterans, namely:
- monthly allowance for the retiree,
- a monthly bonus for working retirees among the faculty and bonuses for veterans of the war and military service on the Day of the Defender of the Fatherland and the Victory Day.
As part of the implementation of the tripartite agreement between the regional joint trade union, Associations of Employers and the local administration, a number of benefits are guaranteed for women with children under the collective agreement, namely:
- one unpaid leave day per month for women with three or more children,
- priority allocation of package tours to health camps for children.
The trade union committee also pays particular attention to the employment of students. The trade union committee has been assisting in the search for internships and the subsequent employment of university students. Trade union committee collaborates with Students Construction Brigade headquarters and provides all members of the Construction Brigades with a personal accident insurance during the summer work.
According to with its financial capabilities, the trade union committee of the University organizes cultural and sports events in Student Cultural Centre and in the Department of Physical Education and Sports. Trade union supports creative amateur teams, sports teams, the student council and dormitory council.
In addition to the events hosted by the university administration, the trade union of the university:
- organizes subsidized guided tours to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Brest, Russia’s Golden Ring cities, and interesting and historical places of Belgorod;
- hosts recreation evenings, meetings, trade union workshops.
Recently, the trade union has significantly intensified its work as well asidentified its priority areas. The trade union committee sets specific tasks for the future, which it hopes to successfully solve by mutual efforts of the members of the trade union and the university administration.