The National Council for Tripartite Cooperation did not reach an agreement on the topic of the proposed right to part-time leave for taking a child to kindergarten or school, during today's meeting of the council. Previously, the social partners discussed a proposal for changes to the Labor Code, according to which it is proposed to abolish non-working Mondays when the official holiday falls on a day off, BTA reports.
The bill for changes to the Labor Code was submitted by Yordan Ivanov and a group of MPs. The Association of Industrial Capital in Bulgaria (AIKB) supported the proposal to abolish non-working Mondays on the grounds that the main problem of business is the shortage of labor, which is a leading challenge.
According to Dobrin Ivanov from AIKB, over 50 thousand workers from third countries entered Bulgaria last year. Bulgaria is a country with fewer working days than the average working days in Europe. For 2025, the working days will be 249, and in 2023 they were 248, while in Germany they are 250 and in the UK they are 252, he pointed out. The practice of the Council of Ministers deciding by decree which days to merge and work on Saturday or Sunday should not be restored, Ivanov suggested.
This issue should be looked at more broadly, because there are different sectors in the economy and the impact of non-working days is different", said Maria Mincheva from the Bulgarian Industrial Chamber, and pointed out that the chamber is refraining from supporting it and is asking for data for the last five years on how many non-working Mondays there have been and how they affect labor productivity and gross domestic product.
The Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry also expressed a lack of support, arguing that the topic is not in the focus of the problems affecting the business environment. This bill will not achieve the effect it aims for, especially since the current regulation has a positive effect on the tourism and restaurant sectors. Eurostat data for 2024 regarding the indicator for the average length of the working week in Bulgaria is 39 hours, which ranks our country in second place after Greece in terms of the length of the working week. The average length of the working week in the entire EU is 36 hours.
The Confederation of Bulgarian Trade Unions (KRIB) also refrained from supporting it. "The current option provides greater predictability and security in managing the labor process", said Rumyana Georgieva from KRIB.
The Confederation of Bulgarian Trade Unions (KITUB) also does not support the proposals because it believes that this text has been in effect for nine years and there have not been any complaints from the public sector about a decrease in labor productivity, said Velichka Mikova, secretary of the union. The proposal is one-sided, as it only takes into account the employer's interest. We insist that the sponsors, if they can, withdraw their bill, because it is not in the interest of the citizens, she added.
The “Podkrepa” coalition did not support the bill, as it does not share that this will balance the employment relationship.
The Ministry of Labor and Social Policy does not support the proposals, said the Minister of Labor and Social Policy Borislav Gutsanov. So far, no inquiries or complaints have been received regarding the current situation. Official holidays are days off for all workers, thus providing people with the opportunity to celebrate or pay tribute on the designated day. Another importance, in addition to the social element, is the provided predictability and security for employers and employees. According to Eurostat data, Bulgarian workers are among the first with 39 hours of work per week, Minister Gutsanov also pointed out.
The National Council for Tripartite Cooperation did not reach an agreement on the proposed right to part-time leave to take a child to kindergarten or school.
A bill to amend and supplement the Labor Code, submitted by Elisaveta Belobradova and a group of MPs, was presented to the social partners by the MP from the “Continuing Change – Democratic Bulgaria” party, Nadezhda Yordanov. She noted that the proposed changes provide that the accumulated paid annual leave during pregnancy and childbirth leave and for raising a child up to 2 years old can be used on an hourly basis to pick up or take a child up to 12 years old to kindergarten or school. The right is also intended to apply to the father, the adoptive parent and those to whom the child has been transferred, including grandparents.
According to the submitters, the aim is to facilitate the reconciliation of professional and family life.
The Association of Industrial Capital in Bulgaria (AIKB) expressed their opinion that they did not object to the proposed amendments and during the discussion indicated that they would provide flexibility.
However, the Bulgarian Industrial Chamber expressed an opinion against the bill. The Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) also expressed a negative opinion. According to them, the changes would lead to difficulties in the work process and in the previously prepared work schedules.
The Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria (CEIB) also refrained from supporting it.
The unions from the CT “Podkrepa“ welcomed the idea, emphasizing that the proposed changes could avoid the inconvenience of each worker asking their employer in each individual case.
The Minister of Labor and Social Policy Borislav Gutsanov also expressed a negative opinion of the department he leads at the end of the discussion.