B2B Magazine

International Workers’ Day, also known as Labour Day and May Day, observes the historical struggles of workers and the labour movement on May 1. The day has been observed since 1890 by a resolution passed at the Paris Conference of the Second International in 1899, and has been observed in Bulgaria since 1890, becoming an official holiday in 1939 and celebrated annually since 1945.
Bulgarian political figures and organizations commented on the state of paid labour in the country and measures needed for its development.
Caretaker Minister of Labour and Social Policy Lazar Lazarov:
"These days, when the 8-hour workday has been taken for granted for decades and unemployment is at record lows, we are talking about the risk of limiting economic growth due to the growing shortage of workers with the skills employers are looking for as a result of the shrinking workforce and the aging of the population. Along with all the benefits for humanity, the digitization of work, modern high-tech achievements and the growing use of artificial intelligence will lead to the closure of traditional jobs,"  said Lazarov, in an address published on the website of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy.
For these reasons, increasing the quality of Bulgaria’s workforce in accordance with the requirements of the economy is among the priorities of the caretaker government and the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, which include investing in a digital learning platform, in the full inclusion of economically inactive people in the labor market, in sustainable income growth and in increasing the quality and safety of workplaces, said Lazarov. 
Thanks to the support of employment offices across the country, in the first quarter of 2023 more than 42,000 unemployed people started work. Since the beginning of this year, the caretaker government has increased the minimum wage to BGN 780, the Minister noted.
Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CITUB) President Plamen Dimitrov: 
"Although the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria states that the state is social and legal, today the social element is too little affected, and the violation of labour rights is a common practice. Hundreds of thousands of Bulgarians are still working poor, and income inequality remains the highest in the entire European Union," said Dimitrov, in an address published on the CITUB website.
The future of a working Bulgaria is unthinkable without decent remuneration, respect for labor rights, ensuring safe and healthy working conditions, without learning and upgrading digital skills, stressed Dimitrov.
Podkrepa Confederation of Labour Secretary Alexander Zagorov and CITUB Vice-President Todor Kapitanov noted May Day is a day to remember the efforts to win labour rights years ago and to preserve the balance between workers and employers.
May Day is an occasion to point out concerns, one of which is the increasingly frequent non-compliance with the eight-hour working day, commented Kapitanov. He said that among the reports of violations, the largest number were those about non-observance of working hours, overtime work, unpaid work on holidays and weekends, even during vacation. He cited a lack of staff as one of the reasons for this. And he added that the efforts of the unions are aimed at optimizing the work process and preventing abuses.
Zagorov noted that there are trends for digitalization and robotization of the work process, but people remain the leading factor. "The more we develop technologically, instead of improving, working conditions worsen. In some sectors, the situation is even unbearable," he commented.
Zagorov informed about Podkrepa’s campaign against unfair working conditions in the country, which aims to better focus the actions General Labour Inspectorate.

Read More