site.btaWages in Sofia Equal to Those in Nearly All Balkan Capitals

Wages in Sofia Equal to Those in Nearly All Balkan Capitals

Sofia, December 15 (BTA) - Wages in Sofia are equal to those in nearly all Balkan capitals. The only exception is Thessaloniki where they are higher, said Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova at a meeting with the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB).

The trade union said that Fandakova presented before the CITUB leadership and members of key federations the draft budget of the capital.

Wages and labour costs are comparable to those in the larger cities in the region. The gross average salary in Sofia is 663 euro, in Belgrade 647 euro, in Bucharest 627 euro, in Skopje 526 euro and in Thessaloniki 1,455 euro, said Fandakova.

According to the Sofia Mayor, investments are no longer driven by the cheap labour but by the presence of a skilled workforce.

CITUB leader Plamen Dimitrov said it was high time the issue of incomes became a national cause so that in 2017-2018 wages in Bulgaria become equal to those in the neighbouring Balkan countries.

According to CITUB data, wages in Bulgaria are 22 per cent lower than those in Romania and 35 per cent lower than those in Serbia.

According to Dimitrov in order for the country to recover from the demographic crisis and to stop the migration of thousands of Bulgarians, increasing people's incomes should become a common cause of all political forces in the coming years.

Dimitrov outlined the three areas that were neglected in the 2017 budget: social institutions, school and children healthcare and science.

The draft budget of the capital Sofia totals 1.2 billion leva, it emerged during the discussion. It prioritizes green development and innovations.