site.btaFour Nationally Representative Employers', Trade Union Organizations Support Social Services Bill

118 POLITICS-SOCIAL SERVICES BILL-MEETING

Four Nationally Representative Employers', Trade Union
Organizations
Support Social Services Bill


Sofia, November 20 (BTA) - Four nationally representative employers' and trade union organizations supported the Social Services Bill, two abstained and one took a stand against the bill, Labour and Social Policy Minister Bisser Petkov said Tuesday after a meeting of the National Council for Tripartite Cooperation, which discussed the bill proposed Petkov's Ministry. The bill was supported by the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB), the Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Union for Private Economic Enterprise. The Podkrepa Labour Confederation and the Association of the Industrial Capital in Bulgaria abstained from supporting the bill while the Bulgarian Industrial Association (BIA) was against.

Petkov said that the bill is intended to facilitate access to social services for those who need them via a national map of social services. The bill also envisages terms for specialized social services. The aim is to guarantee the quality of the services and the support provided to the users, as well as to have flexible forms for public-private partnership.

Assya Goneva of CITUB said that the trade union supports the bill and gives high marks to the Labour and Social Policy Ministry's work, which has continued for more than two years, and was not "induced by the booing of protesters".

CITUB has remarks about the existence of the personal care bill, as according to the trade union this type of care can be regulated in the Social Services Bill.

BIA Deputy Chairman Dimiter Brankov criticized the Bill, arguing that it defines a rather broad range social services users, which could demotivate large social groups to find work and exclude them from the labour market. According to Brankov, postponing the reforms in the sector until 2035 is ill-advised. He said that this is a time-frame for changes that can be done much quicker. LI, LN/ZH
/МЙ/