PM's Labour Affairs Advisor: Trade Unions, Employers Should Work Out Mechanism for Determining Minimum Wage

Sofia, February 27 (BTA) - Prime Minister's Labour Affairs
Advisor Totyo Mladenov Friday urged trade unions and employers
to do their best and develop a mechanism for determining the
minimum wage. Mladenov spoke during a conference on "Working
Poor: New Trade Union Challenges and Policies for Overcoming
Crisis," organized by the Podkrepa Labour Confederation.

Mladenov said that the State will encourage the social partners
in finding the best solutions in terms of rules and a mechanism
for determining the minimum wage. Expressing a personal opinion,
he said that the minimum contributory thresholds by economic
sector could be used for determining the minimum hourly pay.
Mladenov once again stressed the importance of vocational
qualification and the efforts to minimize school drop-outs.

Eurostat data show that 21 per cent of the Bulgarian population
have been living below the poverty line. About 600,000 people
are classified as working poor, i.e., low-paid workers working
full time and drawing a monthly wage of up to 400 leva, which
does not ensure dignified living standards.

According to a study of Podkrepa's Institute for Social,
Economic and Trade Union Research, distributed at the
conference, the working poor in Bulgaria are "an objective
reality," whose solution poses a challenge for both the powers
that be and the social partners.

At 3.70 euro per hour, the average hourly pay in Bulgaria is the
lowest in the EU, where the overall average is 28.40 euro,
Eurostat data show.