site.bta9th Congress of CITUB Opens with Bulgarian and European Anthems

The Ninth Congress of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) opened with the anthems of Bulgaria and Europe. The forum will be held on two consecutive days at the Inter Expo Center.

The congress reported on the results achieved over the past five years and outlined the priorities of the confederation for the next five. A vote and election of anew CITUB leadership is scheduled for Wednesday.

The congress was attended by representatives of Bulgarian and foreign institutions. Among them were National Assembly Chair  Nikola Minchev, Vice President Iliana Iotova, ministers, MPs and representatives of confederations from 23 countries.

CITUB has become the most successfully reformed union of democratic Europe, stated CITUB President Plamen Dimitrov at the opening of the congress.
Dimitrov pointed out that they are working to strengthen the dialogue with the government.

"We are concerned that the government has not had a government programme for five months and that its actions are chaotic," noted Dimitrov in his report.
He expressed concern that the Recovery and Resilience Plan had been revised without in-depth dialogue and that the remarks of businesses and unions had been left without consequences.

CITUB will also insist on reforms in the tax system, aiming to introduce a non-taxable minimum equal to the minimum wage, 15% income tax and reducing VAT to 15%.

The union has set a goal for an average salary of BGN 3,100 in 2027, and a minimum salary  of BGN 1,700, which is now the average. According to CITUB, this can be achieved by increasing wages by an average of 17-18% per year.

It is extremely important for the government to involve trade unions in the reforms that are needed in all areas, said Prime Minister Kiril Petkov in a video greeting to the leadership and members of CITUB at the Ninth Congress of the trade union.

The government is working on a package of measures to overcome the effects of inflation and the war crisis on citizens and employers, said the Minister of Labour and Social Policy Georgi Gokov.

He stressed that the measures will be coordinated with the social partners and civil society structures. In pursuance of the a management agreement, the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy  has taken measures that already limit the phenomenon of "working poor", the minister said. A key point is linking social benefits to the poverty line, updating the minimum wage is on the agenda, as well as linking its size in the future with the country's income and economy, Gokov added.

What is certainly not done in the country so far is a comprehensive programme to help people who are most vulnerable, as well as for business. This is the opinion of Vice President Iliana Iotova. She commented on the topic of anti-crisis measures in response to a journalistic question.

There is no country in the European Union that has not already drawn up such a programme, has not set aside certain funds to overcome the crisis, especially after the hostilities, said the Vice President and added that she expects this to happen in Bulgaria. In response to the question: "Are the coalition's measures on people's incomes adequate to reduce oil prices and all other products?" Iotova said: "Not yet."