When workers protect their income, this is not politics, but a democratic right. This was stated by the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) in connection with the position of the Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria (CITUB) on the protests over the 2026 state budget.
„The sentence "CITUB is not a political organization and cannot protest with political and party goals, unlike other organizations such as CITUB" raises a number of questions“, the union believes. From there they ask which protests exactly are being targeted – whether those for higher incomes and a decent life, or the employers' organizations for state compensation for electricity, which the CITUB has supported.
„Which party has used our nearly 300 thousand members for its own purposes?“, the union also asks.
„We invite anyone who claims that these people are fulfilling party goals to our next protest to tell them so in person“, says the CITUB's position.
It is very easy to apply labels. It is difficult to take real action and achieve real results for people, the union also points out.
On Monday, the Confederation of Bulgarian Trade Unions organized a protest in front of the National Assembly building, demanding a higher increase in the salaries of workers in the public sector.
A protest by employers' organizations is also planned for today, after the Association of Industrial Capital in Bulgaria issued an appeal to participate in an action against the draft budget for 2026.
The budget committee in parliament is expected to begin the adoption of the second reading of the bills for the state social security budget and the budget of the National Health Insurance Fund for 2026 today. A new meeting of the committee is scheduled for tomorrow, and according to the agenda, the second reading will also consider the bill for the state budget of the Republic of Bulgaria for 2026, according to information on the parliament's website.