site.btaCITUB: Intended Increase of Salaries in Budget Sector Is Insufficient

Sofia, October 9 (BTA) - Addressing journalists here Monday, the President of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB), Plamen Dimitrov, said that the intended increase of salaries in the budget sector next year, as announced by Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov, is insufficient.

On Sunday, Minister Goranov said that salaries in the budget spheres will increase by some 10 per cent in 2018, with planned expenditures exceeding by over 700 million leva those in this year's budget.

Dimitrov recalled that in July CITUB demanded 920 million leva in the budget for an increase of salaries in budget systems, which equals a pay raise of between 15 and 25 per cent, depending on the sphere.

CITUB insists that the Prime Minister bring the necessary ministers to the National Council for Tripartite Cooperation and present both the governance programme and specific intentions for key reforms in 2018, Dimitrov said.

He underscored that trade unions are not talking about destabilizing the country and bringing down the incumbent. "We do not want to destabilize the economy because it is currently going upward, nor do we want to destabilize the political environment because it determines the economic growth and is important for us in view of the EU Presidency; however, this does not mean that people do not have the right to demand higher incomes," the CITUB President noted.

The trade unions are ready to protest against the leaders of employers' organizations who, in Dimitrov's words, are attacking all work bonuses envisaged by the Labour Code. Debates should focus on cadres because they are the problem in this country, and not the removal of bonuses, he added.

Speaking at an international conference on living standards organized by CITUB and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Dimitrov presented data on the level of incomes in Bulgaria compared to that in other Balkan countries. "Looking three years back, we can see that we are recovering compared to Serbia and Macedonia: Bulgarians earn 530 euro on average, but 70 per cent of workers receive salaries below the average for the country," the CITUB President added. However, the difference between Bulgaria and Romania continues to grow: in January-March 2017, the average wage was higher by 37 per cent in Romania, by 44 per cent in Montenegro, and by 28 per cent in Bosnia and Herzegovina, he went on to say. In Dimitrov's words, the price level in Bulgaria is higher than in some of the countries with similar incomes: in Macedonia the price level exceeds the EU-average by 58 per cent, and in Bulgaria by 71 per cent when everyday goods are concerned.

There is no reason for anyone to oppose the increase of incomes: the economy allows this, the job market requires it and so do the goals set by the State and society, Dimitrov also said.