Employees of the Ministry of Environment staged a protest

Workers and employees in several structures of the Ministry of Environment and Water on December 5 came out to protest demanding a pay rise. They said their demands from a month ago, set by a series of symbolic protest actions, have not been met.

At exactly 12 the protesting MoEW employees blocked the intersection of Blvd. "Nikola Petkov" and Blvd. "Tsar Boris the Third". They are demanding a 30% increase in basic monthly salaries by the end of 2024, starting from 1 November, a planned increase in wages in the MoEW budget for 2025 by at least 15%, changes in the regulations in the state administration to allow annual increases in basic salaries and adequate consideration of experience, qualifications and working conditions.

Elisaveta Popcheva - Executive Environment Agency:

"We're tired of always being told there’s no money for us. A month ago, our minister said there was funding, and last week part of some decree was passed, yet once again our salary increase demands were not included. They say the Ministry of Finance is are to blame, but we want to know who is responsible and why our salaries haven’t been raised."

Protesters cite the lack of budget for decent wages as a key reason for unfilled positions and high turnover of staff at the Ministry of Environment (MoEW).

Those working in the structures of the MoEW are highly qualified experts who perform their duties under difficult and dangerous working conditions. At the same time, they fall into the category of 'working poor' with low salaries. The protest was joined by scientists from the NIMH.