site.btaUPDATED Bulgarian Posts Employees Protest Nationwide for Higher Wages

Employees of Bulgarian Posts who are members of the Communications Federation at the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) staged a nationwide protest on Monday, the union's press centre said.

According to the statement, at 7:30 a.m., when their working day begins, employees at post offices across the country stepped outside the buildings in protest and did not serve customers.

Of the nearly 7,000 people employed at Bulgarian Posts, about 5,100 receive the minimum wage, CITUB Vice President Todor Kapitanov said in Varna earlier on Monday. He was in the Black Sea city to support the employees' protest organised by the union.

"The day chosen by the workers is not accidental," Kapitanov said. He added that there have already been worrying signals of tensions arising between protesters and citizens whose pensions begin to be paid on March 9.

Options are currently being discussed to ease the protest, as these pensions are vital means of support for many people, Kapitanov said. Even if the duration of the protest is reduced, however, the demands of postal workers remain unchanged, he added.

The protesters' main demand is that funds be secured to provide at least a 5% increase in basic monthly salaries retroactively from January 1, 2026. According to the union's calculations, the financial resources required for this amount to EUR 2.42 million.

Kapitanov described the sector as one of the lowest-paid in the country. He specified that the protesters are demanding that their salaries be increased by 5% immediately through the extension budget. According to him, the funds required for this amount to about EUR 1.3 million.

"When discussions begin on the regular budget, we will insist on further wage increases, because that is only fair," Kapitanov added.