site.btaUnion Threatens Protests Over Government's Income Policy amid Rising Prices

116 - POLITICS - ECONOMY - INCOMES - UNIONS - PROTEST

Union Threatens Protests Over
Government's Income Policy
amid Rising Prices


Sofia, October 9 (BTA) - The Zashtita [Protection] national trade union declared a readiness to protest in Sofia on October 27 over what they see as inadequate government policy on incomes and an unjustified price rise. They made public their plans at a news conference in Sofia Tuesday.

Union leader Krassimir Mitov said thay they are ready to go as far as blocking key thoroughfares.

The cause of their discontent is "the refusal of the government to engage in dialogue over its income policy and its inadequate reactions to the increase of prices caused by the higher natural gas prices".

"Greedy traders and profiteers take away what Bulgarian people have been earning with blood and sweat," Mitov said.

He said if they are not heard, October 27th "will be just the beginning of protests".

A month ago this union sent declarations to the state institutions and the political groups in Parliament spelling out demands for a more significant increase in incomes but the only answer they got was from the Finance Minister who told them that incomes had grown faster than labour productivity in the recent years.

Zashtita were asking for an increase of the minimum wage to 750 leva from the beginning of 2019, 1,000 leva from January 2020 and 1,200 leva from January 2021. They also want the minimum pension to be 350 leva from next year, the nimimum wage for a doctor 2,000 leva and for other health care professionals 1,500 leva.

This union also wants restructuring of the public sector and price regulation for the prime necessities to make sure prices are not driven up by profiteering dealers. LY/LN/
/СН/