site.btaTripartite Cooperation Council Discusses Amendments to Interior Ministry Act, Urges Debate on Reforms

The National Council for Tripartite Cooperation (NCTC) discussed on Tuesday amendments to the Interior Ministry Act, submitted by Bozhidar Bozhanov and a group of MPs from Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria. According to the social partners, the proposals are an occasion to raise a debate on the need for reforms in the sector.

Also on the agenda of the Council was a bill to amend and supplement the Civil Servants Act.

Both bills were discussed at a meeting of the labour legislation committee, and no consensus was reached by its members, Deputy Prime Minister and NCTS chairman Tomislav Donchev said at the start of the meeting.

The aim of bill is to achieve cost efficiency in the system of the Interior Ministry, because compared with other European countries, the costs are significant, said Bozhidar Bozhanov. “We have already expressed our reservations when linking the average salary to the salary in the Ministry of Interior,” he said. “We are also looking into the issue of retirees working at the Interior Ministry, who, according to the National Social Security Institute, number nearly 6,000, which is a serious portion of the Interior Ministry's staff,” the MP said. This problem should be solved in stages, he believes. Bozhanov explained that the bill provides for an analysis of job positions and categories of work.

Deputy Interior Minister Lyubomir Yosifov described the proposals as unacceptable. Interior Ministry structures carry out activities and provide assistance to other departments and organizations, he recalled. In his words, the demands on the Interior Ministry employees are serious and the work process is characterized by a heavy workload, diverse tasks and a high level of stress. High public expectations are also a factor in further increasing the demands on employees, he said.

Rumen Radev of the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association said that they support the bill in order to prompt a conversation about reforms. He stressed that Bulgaria is the Member State of the European Union (EU) with the highest number of Interior Ministry employees per capita. At the same time, a sense of security, of prevention in terms of crime, is lacking, the expert said. More than 95% of the Interior Ministry's budget goes for salaries, social security, and social expenses, and this is unacceptable, he also noted. Only 40% of the employees are directly involved with the police functions, while 60% of the entire staff of the ministry are insured for first category of work, Radev said. He said the functions of officers who do not work on the field should be reviewed.

Maria Mincheva of the Bulgarian Industrial Association also believed the proposals are cause for in-depth discussion, but the organization she represents refrained from supporting the bill.