site.btaInterior Ministry Radev: "No Way to Give Ministry Staff Pay Rise this Year"

Sofia, July 5 (BTA) - "Salaries at the Interior Ministry must be raised by a fair percentage, and we are trying to set it," Bulgarian Interior Minister Valentin Radev said in Parliament's lobby Wednesday morning. He was commenting on a protest that Interior Ministry personnel are staging on Wednesday to press demands for a 15-20 per cent pay rise, effective July 1, and better working conditions.

Several thousand Interior Ministry staff gathered at a protest in front of the National Assembly building on Wednesday, which is marked in this country as Interior Ministry Day. They insist on an increase of their salaries and decent working conditions, including allowances for uniforms and protective clothing. Almost all protestors wore stickers reading "Argument". The attending firemen were in their fire-righting gear.

Radev said that such a rise cannot be provided this year.

"I don't see tensions, at least from my point of view. This is also the feeling I got at the latest meeting of the Social Partnership Council, where we reached an accommodation," the Minister noted.

In his opinion, police officers have a good reason to demand higher pay, and the Ministry leadership is looking into the matter together with the trade unions and the Government.

"I expect this to happen, but I'm not optimistic about this year, it will probably come early next year," Radev said. "We must compare the salaries of policemen on the ground, of firefighters, of employees performing police functions: there is a problem with their salaries, and I'm aware of this. Once nobody wants to take such jobs, one of the reasons is low pay," the Interior Minister concluded. "The political leadership of the Ministry is focussing on this issue. I'm familiar with the
budget procedure, with the technology, and I think that the rise can become a fact after the New Year. I don't know why they insist on it happening immediately," Radev commented.

Blagoi Pankin, Deputy Chairman of the Governing Board of the Trade Union Federation of the Employees in the Ministry of Interior, said on bTV Wednesday morning that he expected between 6,000 and 8,000 policemen, firefighters and employment-contract employees to rally for a national protest in downtown Sofia later in the day. They demand an increase of salaries, drafting a new Ministry of Interior Act, and solving the issue with uniform clothing (which has already been addressed by the Cabinet). Another member of the Trade Union Federation leadership said in the same newscast that all seven trade unions in the Ministry will join the protest action. The tradeunionists were adamant that they will not allow their protest to be abused for political purposes.

Parliamentary Parties React

Addressing Parliament during Wednesday's plenary sitting, MPs of the United Patriots, BSP for Bulgaria, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF)
and Volya read declarations on behalf of their parliamentary groups backing the pay grievance of the Interior Ministry personnel and greeting them on their professional holiday.

Yulian Angelov MP of the United Patriots (in Parliament's lobby): "The United Patriots want the problems at the Interior Ministry, including salaries, to be solved. The Government and the ruling majority will take the necessary action to this end. There are no differences in the Cabinet on this matter, there is understanding in the ruling majority. The Borissov 3 Cabinet has already started to address the issues: money has been allocated for the uniforms, and some 2,000 leva are being paid per employee for specific activities."

Ivan Ivanov MP of BSP for Bulgaria: "We urge for a new non-contradictory Ministry of Interior Act, a pay rise and normal working conditions for law enforcers. We refuse to accept a shift of responsibility by Prime Minister Borissov because three or even four GERB ministers have been running the Interior Ministry since 2009, and the principal reason for the discontent is the lack of social dialogue and divergences in the political leadership's positions. GERB made a campaign promise for 6,000 new appointments to end police understaffing and for stationing a law enforcer in each settlement. Only the fear of protests has prompted a rushed revision of the Ministry of Interior Act making it possible to pay a cash allowance in lieu of the unprovided uniform clothing."

Hamid Hamid MP of the MRF: "Listen to those people, they are not protesting because they don't want to celebrate, they protest because their situation is unbearable. They have been enduring for years, and we have been promising for years." In his words, what the powerholders are doing in education is praiseworthy, but GERB should assume a just as firm commitment to solve the problems at the Interior Ministry.

Boryana Georgieva MP of Volya: "The Volya Party gives full support to the trade unions' justified demands for higher salaries. The pay rise in the Interior Ministry system must be back-dated to lack year. My parliamentary group will come up with its own initiatives on the matter. Money is available for this, and there are ways to channel part of the money to that system."