Bulgarian Companies Face Severe Fines for Unpaid Salaries

Rumyana Mihaylova, Head of Bulgaria's General Labor Inspectorate Executive Agency. Photo by BGNES

Disloyal companies that have not paid salaries to their staff will be fined BGN 15,000 per employee, said Rumyana Mihaylova, Head of Bulgaria's General Labor Inspectorate Executive Agency.

In an interview for the Bulgarian private bTV on Tuesday, she said there were thousands of companies in the country that were not loyal to their employees and did not pay salaries.

Mihaylova added that 11 companies have been given to the Prosecutor's Office over unpaid salaries are they were the most striking cases among the 72 firms, checked in the last months. Some of them, she added, owed 12-15 monthly salaries to their employees.

In her words, referring the Prosecutor's Office for these companies is the last measure that the General Labor Inspectorate Executive Agency could apply.

"These 11 companies that were given to the Prosecutor's Office last week are companies that have money but just do not pay salaries. The problem is not in their lack of money for paying," Mihaylova said.

She has explained that it is impossible for the 392 people who work in the inspectorate to check all companies. In her words, about 16,000 complaints were received for disloyal firms for 2010 only. Still, the performed checks have established 25,000 violations, including not paying salaries, not complying with the dress code and working time, etc.

"As for the companies that do not pay salaries, the most striking cases come from companies that have declared bankruptcy. We receive more and more complaints from people with terminated contracts who have not received salaries and compensations," Mihaylova said.

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