Konstantin Trenchev, founder of Bulgaria’s first independent trade union, dies

Dr Konstantin Trenchev, founder and honorary president of the Confederation of Labour Podkrepa, has died following a brief illness.

The funeral service will be held on 9 November at 12 noon at the Cathedral of St Nedelya in Sofia.

A doctor by profession, a public figure and dissident by conviction, and a leader by vocation, Dr Trenchev was the man who founded Bulgaria’s first independent trade union, Podkrepa, on 8 February 1989. At a time when freedom of association was impossible and the protection of human and labour rights was subordinated to state authority, he chose the most difficult path: to challenge the system and offer hope that independent trade unionism was possible, the organisation said in a post on its Facebook page.

Following the democratic changes, Dr Trenchev devoted more than a quarter of a century to building the Confederation of Labour Podkrepa. Under his leadership, the organisation established itself as one of Bulgaria’s two nationally representative trade union confederations, with strong sectoral and regional structures and an active role in social dialogue.

He took part in shaping key policies, in national social dialogue and in resolving a number of social and labour disputes. He also organised protests, nationwide strikes and public campaigns.

Edited by Miglena Ivanova