Bulgarian unions rally at parliament, demand 10% public pay rise instead of 5%
Bulgaria's largest union, KNSB, rallied in Sofia against the 2027 draft budget. Talks with Finance Minister Donev yielded no deal, but unions were told the 660-euro minimum wage is not final.
Archive image · Photo: Nikolai Karaneschev / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 (cropped and resized)
SOFIA – Bulgaria's Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (KNSB) rallied outside the National Assembly on Friday under the slogan "For higher incomes", followed by a motorcade through central Sofia. Knyaz Alexander I Square was closed to traffic amid a heavy police presence. Unions want a 10% pay rise for public-sector staff in 2027 instead of the planned 5%, 7.5% for teachers, no across-the-board layoffs and a minimum wage above the proposed 660 euros; KNSB is pushing for 690 euros.
A morning meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Galab Donev produced no concrete result, public broadcaster BNT reported, though unions were assured the 660-euro figure was not final and that raising the increase from 5% to 10% would be considered. KNSB leader Plamen Dimitrov called the planned rise, which he put at about 25 euros, "a mockery". Unions estimate the cost of their demands at 380 to 400 million euros, saying the money could come from higher tax revenue because GDP is underestimated.
Labour Minister Natalia Efremova defended the draft, saying all social spending rises despite the EU's excessive deficit procedure and that 660 euros reflects the current balance between unions and employers. The budget targets a cash deficit of 3.5% of GDP and foresees no pay rise for the security sector.