site.btaTrade Unions Say Scrapping of Seniority Bonus Not Highly Relevant

Sofia, July 20 (BTA) - Plamen Dimitrov, President of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB), told reporters that scrapping the seniority bonus is not highly relevant right now, unlike low incomes and pensions, labour shortages, education and health care reforms.

Dimiter Manolov, President of the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour, also said that the public was not focused on the seniority bonus and that it was dropped from the agenda after Thursday's meeting with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, Deputy Prime Minister Valeri Simeonov, responsible for economic policy, and Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov.

The seniority bonus was brought into prominence earlier in July after Simeonov concurred with business representatives that it should be abolished.

On Thursday, Simeonov said he had expressed his personal opinion on "the length-of-service bonus" and deplored the stir it had caused. "I realize it was a mistake making my personal opinion known because it was taken for the government's position, which led to all this troublesome explaining," he said.

Plamen Dimitrov recalled that the length-of-service bonus was replaced by a seniority bonus in 2007.

Answering a question, he said the CITUB expects the cabinet's priorities for the next four years to include a clear vision for an increase in incomes and pensions and a reform of the social support system. He did not rule out protests in the autumn unless those issues were put on the front burner and "addressed properly".