Bulgarian Social Minister Exposes New Murky Co Practices

Bulgaria's Social Policy and Labor Minister, Totyu Mladenov, attended the Sofia conference dedicated to workers safety and health. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's Social Policy and Labor Minister, Totyu Mladenov, announced Tuesday a new illegal business practice – employers forcing workers to sign under fake payrolls.

According to Mladenov, a number of businesses are making their workers sign that they have received their salaries while in reality they have not been paid for months.

The Minister says the Prosecutor's Office is going to probe this and a number of other very serious violations in certain companies like faked bankruptcies, and scarping on safety measures and equipment, exposing workers at risk.

Mladenov spoke during a conference dedicated to workers safety and health.

Despite Mladenov's repeated threats, the Sofia Regional Prosecutor's Office already returned to the Main Labor Directorate the documentation alarming about 11 businesses which have systematically failed to pay salaries on the grounds the prosecution does not deal with Labor Code violations and there is no evidence of a committed crime.

The labor union Confederation of Independent Syndicates, KNSB, warned about increased work place risks related to use of alcohol and smoking.

The KNSB Chair, Plamen Dimitrov, commented construction and mining remain the most dangerous jobs, but lately worries of layoffs contribute to stress and health problems since people tend to work longer hours.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!