site.btaIndustry in Bulgaria Has One of the Highest Profit Rates in Europe but Pays Some of the Lowest Salaries - Trade Union

Industry in Bulgaria Has One of the Highest Profit Rates in Europe but Pays Some of the Lowest Salaries - Trade Union

Sofia, March 30 (BTA) - Industry in Bulgaria has one of the highest profit rates in Europe but pays some of the lowest salaries in the EU, an expert analysis of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) shows. The results were presented at a national conference titled "Social Dialogue for Fair Pay" organized by the trade union.

According to the union, one worker in the tailoring sector in Bulgaria receives an average 276 euro, while the equivalent in Spain receives 1,606 euro. The difference in pharmacy is almost six-fold - Bulgarians receive 536 euro while their Spanish counterparts receive 3,480 euro. At the same time, the rate of return in Bulgarian mining and quarrying is among the highest in Europe - 31.7 per cent compared to the average 21.7 per cent for the EU.

CITUB leader Plamen Dimitrov said that the argument whether Bulgarians produce more than they receive should have a final solution in all industries. The answer on macro-level is clear - as early as 2003 GDP reached its 1990 level and has actually increased by 47.6 per cent over the entire period of transition between 1990 and 2016, while the real minimum salary rose above its 1990 levels only in 2016 by the modest 5.0 to 6.0 per cent. According to CITUB, this prolonged situation should be overcome, and that very soon.

The President of CITUB thinks the comparison with neighboring countries is important. He quoted data, according to which Bulgaria's minimum salary is by 40 per cent lower and the average salary is about 30 per cent below those in Romania. He also said, however, that per capita GDP there is generally higher, although not in all sectors. The average salary in Serbia is over 30 per cent higher and the minimum salary - by about 15 per cent. Salaries are lower only in Albania, Dimitrov added.

According to the leader of CITUB, the mining industry in Bulgaria is among the most effective ones, but in spite of the rising added value, the dynamics of the average salary there shows that payment has increased a little over 16 per cent in 2016 compared to 2012 while employment decreased by 10 per cent.

Luc Triangle, General Secretary of the IndustriALL European Trade Union, said European unions will insist on a uniform minimum salary in Europe, as well as on the urgent raising of salaries across Europe.