site.btaPrime Minister Urges Postponement of Reduction of Sickness Benefit Paid by Employers in First Three Days of Sickness

Sofia, October 24 (BTA) - Prime Minister Boyko Borissov on Tuesday proposed a postponement of a contemplated reduction of the sickness benefit paid by an employer to an employee in the first three days of the sickness.

On Monday, the Supervisory Board of the National Social Security Institute (NSSI) declined to approve the draft of the public social insurance budget for 2018. One of the objections raised by trade unions is that the proposed scheme implies that an employer will pay only 50 per cent of the contributory income in the first three days of an employee's sick leave, instead of the current 70 per cent.

Prime Minister Borissov told journalists: "I propose that the ministry does not implement the measure while we try to sort things out within a month or two, but it should be explained to the people that this is about their money, and we are talking about billions being drained from the system in one way or another."

Borissov said a special medical commission will be set up to check the authenticity of sick notes. "We have also engaged all the forces of the police in order to make sure that those who are really ill are not made to suffer because of those who cheat," the Prime Minister said.

NSSI Director Ivailo Ivanov told the Prime Minister that sick notes on which the NSSI pays benefits have increased by 60 per cent in six years. According to Ivanov, some companies facing bankruptcy or other situations give six months' sick leave to the majority of their employees.

The Prime Minister vowed to discuss the matter with the Ministers of Health, Finance, and Interior.

Health Minister Nikolai Petrov told journalists that control over sick pay will be enhanced and more serious penalties will be imposed on offenders. The matter was discussed at an operative meeting involving Prime Minister Borissov and Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov after Wednesday's meeting of the Council of Ministers. Tighter control will be exercised by the National Medical Expert Commission and regional health insurance funds, and also through amendments to some statutory instruments, Petrov said.