The minimum wage should be basic, as before, with the class and all other permanent remunerations being charged on it, and its value should be determined as 50% of the average wage for the first 2 quarters of the current year. This is the position of „We Continue the Change“, and it is this proposal that will support in the second reading in relation to the proposed changes to the Labor Code. Iskren Arabadzhiev – Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Labor, Social and Demographic Policy, stated:
„You see that the majority put the Labour Code as item 9 on the agenda of the National Assembly. Although my colleagues from the BSP and I were willing, with our votes we failed to move it as item 2. Because of its order on the agenda, it will probably not be able to be dealt with within this week and calendar year. It is important to stress that setting the minimum wage requires a balanced approach and discussions with employers and trade unions. Yesterday, in committee, there were several proposals, and the one that gathered support was from GERB – that the minimum wage should be gross and be set on the basis of 12 months for the previous year. „We continue to change“ abstained on this proposal. We support the minimum wage to be 50% of the national average for the first 2 quarters of the current year. We have never proposed that the grade be dropped. We believe that the conversation about whether the minimum wage should be gross or basic cannot take place in the House at this time because it requires additional work to form a definition of what gross wage means and we cannot accept such a change in this short time frame.„
The „We Continue the Change“ proposal on the minimum wage is part of the 2022 State Budget Continuation Act, which is on the National Assembly’s agenda as the second item for Thursday. This raises the possibility that the discussion on changes to the Labour Code will take place then.
„We believe that we will be able to find an acceptable and constructive solution in the hall through dialogue and agreement,„, Arabadzhiev added.
Despite proposals related to changes in the Labour Code, the minimum wage is not being raised by MPs. This is the responsibility and obligation of the Council of Ministers, which issues the decree. What the MPs can do is to adopt a mechanism that determines what its amount should be. However, it is the responsibility of the Council of Ministers to bring it into force.
We remind you that the caretaker government did not comply with its obligation to submit the State Budget Act, which had a deadline of 31.10.2022.
