The 8th Congress of the Azerbaijan Trade Unions Confederation was held in Baku on December 16.

The event was attended by Congress delegates, as well as representatives of state and non-governmental organizations, heads of trade unions from international organizations, and representatives of several countries.

Shahmar Movsumov, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and Head of the Department of Economic Issues and Innovative Development Policy of the Presidential Administration, read out President Ilham Aliyev’s address to the participants.

The Congress agenda included a report on the Confederation’s activities for 2018–2025, a report by the Inspection Commission, as well as discussions on the new draft Charter and the main directions of activity for the coming period.

In his remarks, Sahib Mammadov, Chairman of the Azerbaijan Trade Unions Confederation, highlighted President Ilham Aliyev’s attention to trade unions, as well as the humanitarian and social projects initiated by First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva, which cover trade unions and make a significant contribution to the country’s socio-economic development.

Azerbaijan’s Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev emphasized the achievements resulting from the development of social partnership based on the General Collective Agreement, noting that the continuous socio-economic reforms implemented in the country have created favorable conditions for the effective operation of trade unions.

Other speakers included Ali Ahmadov, First Deputy Speaker of Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis; Anar Aliyev, Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population; Musa Guliyev, Chairman of the Milli Majlis Labor and Social Policy Committee; Mammad Musayev, President of the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) Organizations of Azerbaijan; Luc Triangle, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation; Oliver Röpke, Director of the Bureau for Workers’ Activities at the International Labour Organization (ILO); Igor Zubku, Chairman of the Pan-European Regional Council (PERC); Ergün Atalay, Chairman of the Confederation of Trade Unions of Türkiye; and other officials.

The Congress subsequently heard the report of the Inspection Commission and held discussions on the Confederation’s activities for 2018–2025.

The event concluded with the approval of the new draft Charter and the main directions of activity for the coming period.