site.btaPlanned Labour Code Amendments to Promote Sectoral Collective Bargaining

The government on Wednesday approved a bill amending the Labour Code to encourage collective bargaining at sectoral and branch level, the government press service reported, covering the cabinet's weekly meeting. The proposed amendments are aimed to reverse a downward trend in the number of collective labour agreements in force between 2011 and 2024.

The bill sets out the general principles and possible measures that the government, together with its social partners (trade unions and employers), may undertake to promote collective bargaining. It also regulates the application of collective labour agreements concluded at sectoral or branch level to workers, employees and employers. In addition, it provides for the possibility that such agreements, or specific clauses within them, may not apply to certain employers in order to facilitate negotiations between the social partners.

The amendments grant the General Labour Inspectorate the authority to monitor compliance with obligations arising from collective labour agreements concluded at sectoral or branch level.

The proposed changes seek to bring Bulgarian legislation into line with the requirements of Article 4 of Directive (EU) 2022/2041 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on adequate minimum wages in the European Union.