Bulgarian Labor Unions: Skyrocketing Prices Unexplainable

Lyuben Tomev, Director of the KNSB Research Institute, faults employers for not raising wages, despite the registered higher productivity of workers. Photo by BGNES

The cost of living increase registered in Bulgaria is unreasonably high even in times of crisis, according to the Confederation of Bulgarian Independent Syndicates, KNSB.

Lyuben Tomev, Director of the Research Institute with KNSB, spoke Monday for the Bulgarian National Radio, BNT, saying there are no valid grounds to have a 6.4% cost of living increase in December 2010, compared to December 2009, saying this increase is skyrocketing.

The experts explained that in a four-member family, BGN 511 a month are needed per person in order to lead a normal life. Meanwhile price of food went up by over 8%.

Tomev pointed out regardless of price hikes of everything in Bulgaria, there is a lasting freeze and even reduction of income and a shrinking demand.

Unemployment continues to go up while employers do not raise wages, despite the registered higher productivity of workers, the union representative says.