site.btaCITUB Stages Protest Insisting that MPs Vote for Additional Funds to Increase Salaries in Public Sector

The Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) organized a protest in front of the parliament early on Thursday morning with a call for raising salaries in sectors that are underfunded and in which pay disparities are increasing. The slogan of the protest is: "We want a visible increase in salaries with Budget 2025" and is related to the expected consideration of the draft budget for 2025 by MPs on Thursday. Traffic in the area is expected to be difficult.

This is the last chance for something to change in order to ensure an increase in salaries in the budget sector, CITUB Vice President Todor Kapitanov told BTA. “We had a proposal since the beginning of the budget procedure, but, unfortunately, many of the areas were left with a small increase in salaries, which does not satisfy the workers,” he pointed out.

The CITUB calls for the provision of an additional BGN 250 million in the 2025 Budget which will allow for an increase in salaries in the National Social Security Institute, the Social Assistance Agency, the Employment Agency, the National Revenue Agency, the Nuclear Regulatory Agency, the National Health Insurance Fund, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Environment and Water, the Bulgarian State Railways, school and child health care, urban transport in Sofia and in the country, structures at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the Road Infrastructure Agency, Bulgarian Posts, the three public media - Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), Bulgarian National Television (BNT), Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), etc. “We are asking for these additional funds so that the increase can be up to 10%,” said Kapitanov.

“We will meet MPs before work and hand them out our demands, along with magnifying glasses with which they can see "where they can make an increase", and we will give the entire Parliament a microscope,” the CITUB Vice President said.

Kapitanov noted that the emphasis will be on the public media, BTA, BNR and BNT. “We will broadcast a joint protest news programme and we will announce the demands of the three media and, accordingly, "what could happen if they are not satisfied",” he pointed out.

A few days ago, the representative unions in BTA sent an open letter to National Assembly Chair Natalia Kiselova, to Parliamentary Committee on Culture and Media Chair Toshko Yordanov, and to the parliamentary Committee on Budget and Finance Chair Delyan Dobrev with a request that funds be voted for decent pay in the national news agency when considering the 2025 state budget.

"We fully support the proposal of BTA Director General Kiril Valchev to increase the average salary of those working in the public media and experts in the Council for Electronic Media to 125% compared to the average for the country," the open letter stated.

"For BTA, the funds needed, together with the employer's social security contributions, are about BGN 3 million, in addition to the currently planned BGN 612,100 for a 5% increase in salaries including social security contributions," the position also read.

"We remind you that just from the postponement of payments for licenses and disk space in 2025, BTA saved BGN 3.6 million on the current budget, which is less than the funds needed to make the agency's employees equal to teachers. The majority of BTA employees are in Sofia, where, according to data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI), the average gross salary for 2024 is 3,451 leva. The average salary at BTA is far below this amount," the open letter also noted.

"According to NSI data,  the average gross monthly salary of those employed under an employment contract in 2024 in the economic activity "Creation and dissemination of information and creative products" was over BGN 5,100, and in December 2024 it reached over BGN 5,500. This is more than twice the difference in pay compared to the average salary in the national news agency," the union representatives at BTA also said.

"BTA informs the public impartially and fully about the work of all state and municipal institutions, reflects all social processes in the country. BTA does not disseminate commercial messages, propaganda, does not serve political interests, and the agency's employees are closely profiled in the specifics of the media's work. Over the years, BTA has proven that it has its place among the leading institutions in the country, and enjoys widespread trust," the letter noted.

"We, the agency's employees, agree that adequate payment for our work is necessary. "We believe that you will take into account the arguments we have listed, which are only part of the reasons for this letter, and will support our request. We declare our readiness to join the protests of our colleagues from BNT and BNR," the open letter also stated.