site.btaLabour Minister Gutsanov: 19,000 Violations Found in Tourism Sector Inspections

More than 4,000 inspections in the tourism sector since the start of the summer season have uncovered 19,000 violations, Labour and Social Policy Minister Borislav Gutsanov told reporters in Sunny Beach on Friday. Gutsanov joined Burgas Executive Agency General Labour Inspectorate head Pavlin Vaskov for a labour law check at the resort.

“What worries me is that across the country there are 2,300 people without employment contracts,” Gutsanov said. According to Gutsanov, in the hospitality and restaurant sector alone, irregular contracts make up a quarter. “This shows that this sector is extremely high-risk. More than 20% of our economy operates in the grey sector. On the other hand, there is a shortage of money for pensions, maternity benefits, and for young people. How can there be enough when nearly a quarter of businesses are working in the grey sector,” the minister said.

During the inspection at a hotel complex in Sunny Beach, which Gutsanov attended, no serious violations were found.

“More than 40 people have been checked. There are employees who are underage, but all have parental permission to work. There are no flagrant violations. If only all hotels were like this,” Gutsanov commented. Vaskov added that the owner of the “Sun Palace” hotel also owns four other properties in Sunny Beach. “In three of the other sites, people without employment contracts have been identified. That is why we decided to check the fourth property of the company. Expectations that there would be people without contracts here were not confirmed,” he said.