Dimitrov rips budget as wage betrayal
Bulgarian trade union leader Plamen Dimitrov rejected the 2026 budget proposal as inadequate for workers earning minimum wages. The Confederation of Bulgarian Trade Unions president told bTV that the 5 percent salary increase for employees in the budget sector fails to match the 6.4 percent annual cost-of-living rise for single workers.
Government officials plan to reduce minimum wage levels despite previous assurances at the Tripartite Council. Deputy Prime Minister Donchev and other representatives had indicated the minimum wage would reach 1,213 leva rather than drop to 605 euros, as expected, from the expected 620 euros.
National Statistical Institute figures show public sector employment decreased by 85,000 positions over 15 years, while civil service roles grew by just 1,066 workers. Dimitrov dismissed predictions of stagflation from Bulgarian Confederation of Trade Unions chairman Kiril Domuschiev as unfounded.
The union president challenged critics to survive on the proposed monthly pension of 541 euros, which takes effect on July 1 amid rising food prices. Workers contribute less than half of the proposed 2 percent social security increase at 0.88 percent or 40 percentage points of the total burden.
