Konstantin Trenchev Dies – One of the Defining Figures of the Trade Union Movement and Bulgaria’s Transition

Konstantin Trenchev has also passed away – founder and honorary president of the Confederation of Labour Podkrepa and one of the founders of the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF). A doctor by profession, a public figure, a dissident by conviction and a leader by calling, Dr Trenchev was the man who, in 1989, founded Bulgaria’s first independent trade union, Podkrepa.

Founder of Podkrepa trade union Konstantin Trenchev dies

Konstantin Trenchev’s name will forever be associated with the defining issues of the Transition and democracy. He was among the group of enthusiasts, as he called them, who founded the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF). He also witnessed at first hand the collapse of their illusions in the very first months of the changes.

“Enthusiasts who dreamed of a different country. We had a different vision of what a democratic Bulgaria should be. It would be very easy for me to make excuses and say – yes, there was a scenario; I am personally convinced that there was one. But our fault was that we did not oppose it actively enough.”

In 1989, Trenchev spent months in detention because of his involvement in the first opposition trade union, Podkrepa.

“There are two fundamental things about the Transition – one is a change in principles, and the other is a change in mindset. The second is very difficult; it cannot be brought about by decrees, regulations and so on. It simply has to be lived through, experienced and become part of people’s value systems.”

“We Bulgarians were not used to fighting for ourselves or surviving in such circumstances. In the West, this was characteristic – people knew from childhood that they had to fight. We waited to hear what the Central Committee would say.”

In his later years, he said firmly that he would never return to politics.

Photos: BGNES

“At least 95% of people involved in politics are there to make money. That is what they want and what they have been striving for. The remaining 5%, or fewer than 5%, are people who genuinely want to achieve something. But surrounded by that mass, their chances of changing anything are minimal. There is a favourite saying of mine: ‘I know so much that I keep silent.’ Because whenever you tell a truth, you must first consider whether your audience is ready to hear it.”