Bulgaria Govt Agrees to Medical Leave Compromise

Domestic | May 5, 2010, Wednesday // 12:40|  views

After months of discussion, Bulgaria's government, the syndicates and employers have finally reached an agreement on reforms in the Bulgarian medical-leave scheme. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria’s government reached a compromise decision Wednesday according to which 70% of the first three days of a medical leave will be covered by the employers.

Initially the Cabinet demanded that employers pay 100% of the regular daily salary of an employee during the first day of a medical leave, cover 60% of the second day and pay nothing for the third day, leaving all remaining days to be covered by Bulgaria’s Social Security Institute (NOI).

However, during Wednesday discussions, the Bulgarian government has loosened its stand and agreed to the proposal that employers cover 70% of the first three days of an employee’s medical leave while NOI pays for all the remaining days.

"We have settled upon a compromise medical leave scheme that will put a stop to the draining of NOI and will secure medical leaves for those who really need them,” said Bulgaria’s Labor and Social Policy Minister Totyo Mladenov after Wednesday’s meeting with the Bulgarian employers and syndicates.

The government is to vote on the amendment to Bulgaria’s Social Welfare Code that legislates medical leave payment requirements on Wednesday, and all approved changes will be valid till the end of 2010.

At the moment, Bulgarian employers cover 100% of the daily pay of their employers during the first day of their medical leave, while NOI provides 80% coverage for the remaining days of the medical leave.

The head of the Podkrepa Labor Union Konstantin Trenchev said after Wednesday’s meeting that he was pleased with the agreement, adding that ”a group of experts will analyze during the next couple of weeks how to efficiently counteract draining of NOI funds.”

Employers also expressed their support for the new reforms in Bulgaria’s medical leave scheme, while the head of the Bulgarian Industrial Association Kamen Kolev declared that ever since the debates on the changes of medical-leave payments in Bulgaria started a couple of months ago, there’s been a 7% drop in the issuing of such leaves in Bulgaria.

The talks over the paid medical leaves from work have been initiated by the Bulgarian government, which wants to amend the Social Security Code in order to curb the violations with the granting of fake medical leaves.

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Tags: medical leaves, reforms, agreement, Totyo Mladenov, Social Welfare Code

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