While the responsible minister states that an increase of 18% in teacher salaries will certainly happen from 1 January 2019, trade unions insist that this should happen earlier from October this year. According to statistics the average age of teachers is 55 years. The trade union claim that the reason for the lack of young people working in education is low wages.
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[close]A trade union report on wage bargaining in 2017 reveals that computer specialists receive about five and a half times the average salary for hotel and restaurant workers. The report was made by trade union CITUB. The average salary in 2017 increased by about 12% or 115 leva and reached 1060 leva (542 euro). The union stated that the low salary of the employed in the tourism sector meant, against the backdrop of the sector’s growth in 2017, either a payment under the table or an improper allocation of the financial resources. According to CITUB, this summer there will be no serious increase in the number of employees in tourism. According to Eurostat figures, the hourly labour costs in 2017 were with 4.9 euro an hour the lowest in the EU. With 12% the country had the second-highest increase among non-euro zone countries.
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[close]Following a meeting between the minister and the trade union of prison workers, the government announced that it will increase the wages of prison staff. The government is to provide 7.66 million euro for increases to the salaries of prison workers. The deal was made after weeks of protest and a ‘Europe for us too’ petition, gathering signatures. In reaction to the government’s decision to increase the wages the trade union decided to suspend the protest activities.
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[close]Two unions warn that, although the EU member states reached an agreement to tighten posted worker controls, another door has been opened to social dumping. They refer to the fact that the country has relieved the import of workers with or without qualification under the pretext that shortages stall the economic development. The unions describe the mechanism that the workers enter through Bulgaria, but in practice they work in Western Europe for extremely low wages.
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[close]An economist of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria (CITUB) stated, in reaction to recently released survey data, that 71% of the citizens receive an income below the minimum standard of living. The economist noted that although there is an economic upsurge, the majority of the population does not benefit from it because economic inequality continues to increase. For a year, the standard of living has gone up by between 5% and 7% and average wages by 12%. However, the prices of goods have risen more and this increases inequality between individual social groups. According to research, 27% of the working households receive incomes lower than the poverty line, which is currently BGN 314 and the remaining 45% earn income between the poverty line and the minimum subsistence.
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[close]The Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) and the Podkrepa Labour Confederation have joint together in protest of proposed revisions to the labour migration legislation that would make it easier for non-EU workers to enter the labour market. The unions believe that it is unnecessary to attract foreign skilled workers and that instead measures are needed to attract skilled workers back home.
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[close]Trade unions of prison guards and judicial guards have prepared letters to the ambassadors of the EU Member States. The reason is that the problems in the sector remain unresolved for years, and the demands of their protests, which last for months, remain outstanding. Workers have organised protests at the Courts of Justice in 10 cities in the country. Recently, the trade unions decided to reject a proposed 5% increase and continue the protest action until the demands were fully met. The unions insist on a 20% increase in wages, a levelling of payments for harsh working conditions with those of police officers and solving staff problems.
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[close]Prison officers from the prisons and remand centres from across the country staged a protest on 29 January 2018 in demand of higher wages and better working conditions. They were backed by a statement from their colleagues from the Court Guard unit, and several interior ministry officers who were off duty and joined the protest. A spokesperson from the trade union of the prison staff explained that the demands of the workers remain unchanged: 20% pay rise and equalising the remunerations with the size of the remuneration of their colleagues from the interior ministry, the State Agency for National Security and ministry of defence. Other demands include improvement of the working conditions and appointment of more staff to fill in the vacancies and new positions to be added to the staff complement.
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[close]The national Ombudsman and the leaders of trade unions CITUB and Podkrepa submitted to Parliament a proposal for amendments to the Labour Code that would repeal the employer's right to pay only 60% of the salary earned or limit this right to certain circumstances and times of the year. The legislative proposal provides for the repeal of Article 245 of the Labour Code or its change in order for the employer to be entitled to pay incomplete wages for only one month of the year or in certain circumstances to be declared to the General Labour Inspectorate.
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[close]The policemen continue with their protest marathon as long as the demands formulated by the trade unions are not met. The trade unions have negotiated with the interior ministry, asking for a decent pay increase, but so far there no solution has been found. The ministry of interior promised a salary increase. However, that increase was not for all employees. According to the unions, it does not solve the problems in the sector.
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