Protesters demand a pay rise of at least 10% for public-sector employees

Members of Bulgaria's largest trade union, the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB), from various cities are protesting in Sofia, calling for public-sector salaries to be increased by at least 10% next year, instead of the 5% envisaged in the draft budget.

“We are the working poor. We want fair pay,” chanted the protesters, who blocked Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard in central Sofia, BNR reporter Evelina Stoyanova reported. A motorcade set off from the National Assembly building and proceeded along central streets and boulevards.

Employees of the Bulgarian National Radio also joined the protest. “We are calling for adequate, decent salaries. When you earn €700 to €800, a €35 pay rise is no pay rise at all. It is a handout and yet another insult to the work of BNR employees,” one protester said.

Earlier, trade union leaders met with Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Galab Donev to discuss the draft 2027 state budget.

“People earning €700 or €650, with two university degrees and speaking two languages, working in libraries, museums and elsewhere, cannot be expected to make do with a 5% increase, which amounts to just €25 net in their pockets. It is a mockery,” said Plamen Dimitrov, president of CITUB. He added that the projected budget deficit of 3.5% represented a steep fiscal consolidation, meaning that spending would have to be cut somewhere.

Dimitar Manolov, president of the Podkrepa Labour Confederation, described the proposed increase as “absurd”. “The bleak overall picture reminds me of a return to the years of poverty and deprivation,” he said.

The finance minister reportedly told the meeting that the government’s plans for a 5% increase in public-sector salaries and a minimum wage of €660 were not final.

Government proposes 6.4% increase in minimum wage to EUR 660