Police officers ready to protest, demanding pay rise starting from January 2025

The largest police trade union has declared strike readiness. They are demanding higher wages from 1 January next year. They insist that the agreed parameters in the budget be implemented. During the 'Police Officer of the Year' ceremony, the caretaker Minister of Interior said he expected the demands of the officers to be met.

According to the draft budget, employees in the system are set to receive salary increases next year. However, if Parliament does not pass the budget or makes significant changes, the largest police union has stated that they are prepared to hold a peaceful protest in February.

Genadi Tenev, a member of the Board of the Trade Union Federation of Interior Ministry Employees: 'We have no claims on how much to raise salaries. We want to respect what has been achieved in the law - linking salaries to the average wage for the country in the second quarter of the previous year. That is, the second quarter of 2024 is taken as the base - the lowest wages are set on that basis."

Wages were last increased last year by ten percent.

According to union data, the current average salary for officers working on the street or at the border is 1,475 BGN. When asked whether there would be higher wages starting January 1, caretaker Minister of Interior, Atanas Ilkov, expressed optimism that the demands for higher wages will be met, saying he believes that the expectations of police officers will be fulfilled.

"I am optimistic and I think we will meet the expectations of our colleagues."