site.btaLabour Minister Says There Are No Issues with Minimum Wage and Employment Service Length Provisions

Labour and Social Policy Minister Nataliya Efremova said there are no problems with the provisions of the state budget concerning the minimum wage and length of employment service, despite the constitutional complaints filed by GERB-UDF and Continue the Change, as well as the Ombudsman’s plans to submit a similar complaint.

Nataliya Efremova attended an official ceremony in Simitli marking the 15th anniversary of the establishment of family-type accommodation centres for adults with physical disabilities and for adults with dementia.

She said that anyone who has the legal authority may refer matters to the Constitutional Court. “Personally, I do not see any problems with the provisions of the state budget act, and I believe that the Constitutional Court, within its powers, will make the most appropriate decision. Accordingly, the new provisions will be able to be implemented,” the Minister said in response to a journalist’s question.

Efremova added that the provisions take effect on Monday. She noted that the most difficult challenge for her was accepting the freezing of some social expenditures, but she believes that next year there will be more opportunities to increase people’s incomes.

“I have no concerns about the stability of the Public Social Insurance, as there are transfers,” she said in response to a question about the system’s financial stability.

“There are transfers from the state budget, and this has been a decision in place for years in order to maintain relatively low levels of social security contributions,” Efremova explained.

Through parallel measures aimed at increasing revenues, “we will try to maintain trust in the system and in its stability,” she added.

According to her, expectations are for additional revenue of around EUR 130 million by the end of the year as a result of the increase in the minimum and maximum social insurance contribution thresholds, which will mean greater financial resources for the following year.