site.btaTrade Unions Recommend Raising Minimum Wage to BGN 800 in Autumn

"Obviously, we are heading towards new elections and the first task of the new parliament should be an update of the budget for this year," said in an interview for Nova TV Plamen Dimitrov, president of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB). This means additional spending opportunities and support for vulnerable social groups and pensioners, he explained.

According to him, the minimum wage should be raised to 800 leva from autumn. "Half a million Bulgarians work for minimum wage at the moment and they have to cope with current prices and inflation," said Plamen Dimitrov, adding that on top of heating bills, other prices are continuing to grow as well.

In Dimitrov's opinion, compensatory mechanisms are important, and the scope of heating benefits in winter should be expanded by about 50%. 

The CITUB president noted that fuel price control should be strengthened as soon as possible. "It is not clear why the price of fuel, which is based on Russian oil, which after all is processed by our refinery, is similar to the price of fuel in Greece, where it is calculated using a different formula," he said.

He added that in big chain stores there is a reduction in the price of bread, which goes up to 20%, but in some of the small outlets there is none. "I am pessimistic - next month the price of bread will return to the old levels, because the latest harvest of grain is much more expensive than usual," Dimitrov predicted.