site.btaUPDATED Labour Minister Gutsanov: Workers' Rights Were Not Given Freely and Today We Celebrate This Battle

On International Workers' Day, Labour and Social Policy Minister Borislav Gutsanov appealed to Bulgarians to not give up on the rights that generations before them fought for. “Workers' rights were not given freely and today we celebrate this battle. Let us show respect by protecting them. Because they are for us,” he said.

The Minister's address was published on the website of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy.

He noted that he has celebrated this day for 35 years, but that this year it is more special to him due to his position as Labour Minister. 

“Adequate income from decent and valued work is the best way to combat inequalities, both at the national and regional levels,” the Minister of Labour and Social Policy said.

“Three months or a hundred days [since taking office] is not a long time, but we have taken the first steps. We have resumed the dialogue between trade unions and businesses in search of a solution for determining adequate minimum wages. A review of the various training courses that the Ministry provides has begun in order to improve their effectiveness and make them truly useful to people and businesses that need staff,” noted Gutsanov.

Gutsanov celebrated International Workers’ Day in Varna, where he said that more than 50,000 statements of violations of labour legislation were drawn in the first three months of the year. He stressed that safety at the workplace and compliance with labour rights is of essential importance and pointed out that in the first quarter of 2025, over 13,000 inspections were carried out, during which 914 cases of work without an employment contract were identified. “The state must show zero tolerance for the use of undeclared labour and disregard for safety rules,” he also said.

He said a key problem is the reluctance not only of employers, but also of workers themselves to enter into formal employment contracts, despite the long-term financial losses they incur by avoiding them.

The Labour and Social Policy Ministry is running a campaign in universities to raise awareness of the importance of signed employment contracts. Gutsanov said it is not just about pensions, but also about access to other social benefits.

“In 2026, we want to raise the maternity allowance for the second year of leave above the current BGN 780. If young mothers choose to return to work earlier, they should receive not 50%, but at least 75% of that amount,” said Gutsanov. He argued that these changes would not burden the state budget. On the contrary, if just 10% of young mothers return to work, this will generate BGN 12.4 million in revenue, while also helping women retain their professional skills.