Average wage in Bulgaria has gone up by nearly 12% in 2019

At a meeting on December 12, the National Council for Tripartite Cooperation (NCTC), made up by the government, employers and trade unions, discussed the minimum wage in 2020 and an increase to 610 as of January 1.

The meeting was boycotted by the large employers’ organisations which two weeks ago said that employers will not attend the NCTC's meetings until the adoption of what they say are adequate proposals for payment of sick leave. Today, they confirmed their position.

Only one employer organisation, the Union for Private Economic Enterprise (UPEE), attended the meeting. The business organisation confirmed they were against the adoption of higher minimum wage, because they do not support the overall mechanism used for its formation.

According to the Social Ministry, public sector wages have outstripped those in the private sector, at least according to the official figures. The total average wage for this year has increased by almost 12% to BGN 1,249.