Relatives, friends and public figures bid farewell to the founder of the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour, Dr. Konstantin Trenchev, at the St. Nedelya Church in Sofia. He died on November 6 at the age of 71.
Trenchev was one of the prominent figures in Bulgaria’s trade union movement. For 26 years, he headed the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour – the organization he founded and turned into one of the country’s leading trade unions.
“A terrible, heavy loss”
Dimitar Manolov, president of the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour, described the death of his predecessor as “a terrible, heavy loss.” He said he would remember Trenchev as a strong, unwavering and determined man with a “unique intellect.”
“He was our brother, our father, everything,” Manolov told BNT.
A memory of the trade union leader
Georgi Parvanov, president of Bulgaria from 2002 to 2012, described Trenchev as an “excellent trade unionist” and a true leader of the trade union movement.
Parvanov pointed to relations between institutions and trade unions as an example of social dialogue. Among the specific cases he recalled was the teachers’ strike, which ended with negotiations mediated by the head of state.
“As a person, I will remember him with the utmost respect,” Parvanov said.
“One must think about one’s soul”
Vice President Kiril Valchev recounted that he had spoken with Trenchev on Darik Radio when the trade union leader resigned as president of the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour. Asked why he was stepping down, Trenchev replied: “Because one must think about one’s soul.”
Vanya Grigorova, chair of the Sofia Municipal Council’s Health Care Committee, described Dr. Trenchev as an inseparable part of the beginning of Bulgaria’s transition. In her words, he was aware of both the positive and negative consequences of the changes that began in 1989.
In memory of Konstantin Trenchev, BNT changed its programming. The trade union leader remains associated with the beginning of the independent trade union movement and with Bulgaria’s public life after the changes.
Sources: bntnews.bg