A proposal by the government for changes to the Labor Code, which could reduce the length of service and paid leave of those working a four-hour workday, caused a sharp clash between unions and employer organizations on Nova TV, reports novini.bg.
According to the idea, employees who work four hours a day will accumulate half a day of work experience. This means that one day of work experience will be acquired after two working days of part-time work. If the changes are finally adopted, when working part-time, two days of work will be recognized as one day of work experience.
A proportional reduction in paid annual leave is also planned - from 20 to 10 days for those working a four-hour workday.
The proposal submitted by the government was opposed by representatives of trade unions and employer organizations.
The chairman of the Trade Union of Administrative Employees at the Trade Union "Podkrepa" Kremena Atanasova described the way in which the change is proposed on Nova TV as unacceptable.
"Changing the Labor Code through transitional and final provisions, while taking away workers' rights, can only be defined as an outrage", she said.
According to her, the change will not affect the insurance period and retirement, since the insurance period is still calculated based on the actual contributions. However, she warned that it will have serious consequences for the length of service, additional remuneration for time served, paid annual leave and some benefits.
„If a person now works two years at 4 hours, they will count as one year of work experience. This will not lead to a brighter economy, quite the opposite“, believes Atanasova.
She drew attention to the fact that the most affected will be people who work part-time – most often parents of small children or people who take care of their loved ones.
“These people will be entitled to less leave. If they work 4 hours, they will receive 10 days of leave, even though their working hours are four hours anyway. This is unfair and represents a deprivation of rights“, the union representative emphasized.
For his part, the chairman of the General Assembly of the Association of Industrial Capital in Bulgaria, Vasil Velev, defended the proposal. According to him, the reasons for this lie in the way the state sets the minimum wage and the minimum insurance thresholds.
„Formal work for 4 hours is often an alternative to closing businesses or laying off staff. This is an escape to the gray sector in order to survive“, Velev said.
According to him, the change is fair.
„If you work 4 hours, it is obviously not full-time work. It is not about taking away rights, but about introducing justice“, he said.
However, Velev admitted that injustices still exist at the moment.
„There are people who work 12 hours a day, and they are not recognized for a day and a half of work experience“, he pointed out.
The two also got into an argument over the topic of the minimum wage. Kremena Atanasova criticized employers for insisting on freezing it despite the low incomes in the country.
“The minimum wage in Bulgaria is the lowest in the European Union and is about 30% lower than that in the next country. Explain to people why 620 euros is a lot for them“, she addressed Velev.
Employers, for their part, insist that the current mechanism for determining the minimum wage does not meet European requirements.
“We have not properly implemented the European directive on adequate minimum wages. There must be a new mechanism that takes into account productivity, inflation, the median wage and a number of other economic indicators“, Velev said.
According to him, there is no question of freezing the minimum wage.
“This year it was already increased by 13%. Until we reach a new agreement, the current amount will apply“, he said.
However, Atanasova disputed this thesis, pointing out that the State Budget Act specifically stipulates freezing the mechanism.
According to her, the conversation about the budget cannot be conducted only through expenditures.
“Since there is a will for changes in basic laws such as the Labor Code, there must also be a will for changes in the tax model. "I hope the government will show that workers, pensioners, mothers and the unemployed are also important to them," said Kremena Atanasova.
Vasil Velev, however, stressed that before talking about distributing more funds, the economy must create more value.
“In order to have something to distribute, first it must be produced. All the care was focused on the budgetary sphere and social payments, and first there must be production“, he stated.