Recognising the necessity to develop the skills of its representatives, the FNPAIA has set the objective to secure assistance from expert organizations in training a team of FNPAIA members in conducting collective bargaining and social dialogue.  Such assistance was offered by the Dutch Employers’ Cooperation Programme, DECP. Under this project, a total number of 8 workshops were organized in 8 regions of Moldova, where the FNPAIA has its member Associations. All in all, representatives from all rayons participated, since the network of the FNPAIA covers the entire territory of Moldova.

 Taking into consideration the limited knowledge of those to be trained, the workshop module was focused on the following three aspects: (i) social dialogue: why it is important for employers; (ii) how to conduct collective bargaining and (iii) what it is a collective agreement. The training was conducted by Mr. Jean-Marie Standaert, DECP Special Advisor. Mr. Jean-Marie Standaert is a person with extended experience in the field, and he also has large experience as ILO Senior Specialist, Sub-regional Bureau in Budapest. The FNPAIA management and its members highly appreciate the contribution of Mr. Jean-Marie Standaert in this project.

 Describing the impact of the 8 workshops, it should be stressed that the management of the FNPAIA highly appreciates it, while the participants valued this input.  The participants spoke on various occasions about the importance of the knowledge they received during the workshop. They mentioned that much was new for them and interesting, as the expert shared various examples taken from his own work-experience.

 During the General Assembly on 23 March 2007, the FNPAIA Chairman Mr. Valeriu Bulgari articulated the utmost importance of the social dialogue for our organization by mentioning the following: “…the quality of the social dialogue, our professionalism in conducting it, will be determinant in shortening the way to overcome difficulties in our activity, while the chaotic and dispersed efforts will make this way only longer”.

Main activities with the DECP:

·         19 - 20 June, 2008 - OSH seminar organised in Chişinău

·         22-24 May, 2008, The Hague, Netherlands – FNPAIA representative attended a training on communication strategies for Employers' Organisations

·         13 – 14 September, 2007 - a training workshop on membership dues collection was held in Chişinău

·         30 January - 9 February, 2007 - a number of 8 regional workshops on social dialogue were organised in Edineţ, Orhei, Hînceşti, Căuşeni, Taraclia, Ungheni, Bălţi, and Floreşti