Association of European Journalists in Bulgaria Supports Higher Pay Demands of BTA, Bulgarian National Radio and TV

Dimitrina Solakova

Protesting BTA employees in downtown Sofia, May 15, 2025 (BTA Photo/Vladimir Shokov)

Sofia,

15.05.2025 13:37

(BTA)

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The Association of European Journalists in Bulgaria (AEJ-Bulgaria) supports the demands for fair working conditions of the employees of the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), Bulgarian National Television (BNT), and Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), the organization said on its website Thursday.

Those working at Bulgaria's public media protested on Thursday demanding a pay rise of at least 15%. The protest was held under the slogan "Work in the media has value" in downtown Sofia and across the country where the three media outlets have correspondent offices. According to trade unions, the state budget resources needed for the increase amount to BGN 14 million (BGN 3 million for BTA, BGN 6 million for BNT, and BGN 5 million for BNR).

Recently, AEJ-Bulgaria called on the Bulgarian authorities to join the Council of Europe's Journalists Matter campaign, the Association said. In their words, ensuring adequate funding for public media is an indispensable condition for this. "Poor material conditions create dependencies, and Bulgaria and Bulgarian democracy need strong journalism that is a corrective to the authorities, works for the public interest and is true to the facts," AEJ-Bulgaria said.

The Association notes that in the longer term it is necessary to rethink the funding model so that the budgets of public media are guaranteed regardless of the political conjuncture.

According to the results of the latest AEJ-Bulgaria Freedom of Speech Survey 2024, about 45% of the journalists who took part testified that in the last year, their incomes have either remained the same or have even decreased, while about 40% indicated that there has been some increase in their incomes, without it being clear whether this increase compensates for the increased prices due to inflation, the AEJ-Bulgaria recalled. They add that at a time of deep social discord, fuelled by misinformation and propaganda, it is crucial for EU countries to protect media freedom and journalism. This protection is not costly, but it is vital to preserve the democratic way of life, the organisation added.

/RY/