Bulgaria MPs Swallow the Bitter Pill of Frozen Pay

Domestic | February 22, 2012, Wednesday // 15:49|  views

An unidentified member of Bulgaria’s parliament is pictured here during a plenary session, reading an article about the price of the most delicious strawberries on the market in a local newspaper. Photo by Sofia Photo Agency

Bulgaria's members of parliament have agreed, though reluctantly, to extend the freeze on their salaries that expired at the beginning of 2012.

The motion, tabled by the ruling GERB party, was approved by 133 MPs, three voted against and one abstained.

It did not pass without a bit of drama, however.

"I know the people will be happy if the members of their parliament go to work bare-footed and with chains around  their necks," Assen Agov, a right-wing MP, fumed from the rostrum.

In 2011 Bulgarian MPs had their salaries frozen, even though per statute they equals three times the average monthly salary in the country's public sector for the last month of the latest quarter.

MPs had nonetheless decided that in view of economic and financial hardships experienced by Bulgaria, they will freeze their salaries to 2009 levels.

The moratorium however had expired at the beginning of 2012, raising fears that MP salaries might be automatically indexed again.

The average salary in December 2011 was BGN 853, according to latest data of the statistics office.

That means that MPs, whose fixed salaries range between BGN 2 196 and BGN 2 259, would add an extra BGN 360 each month, regardless of the numerous bonuses they get.

Internet formus and media were indignant at what they saw as a stealthy self-serving move on the part of local MPs, who are famous for non-attending parliamentary sessions.

For almost a decade already the black list has been topped by the leader of the ethnic Movement for Rights and Freedoms Ahmed Dogan, who attended no more than ten parliamentary sessions over a period of four years.

The current parliament, which held its first session at the beginning of July 2009 with the center-right GERB party making up 116 MPs in the 240-seat unicameral national assembly, vowed to put an end to the vicious job-skipping practice, but to no avail.

Members of Bulgarian parliament have always had the habit of going after their private business instead of working in the plenary hall and obviously have no intention to shake it off.

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Tags: Bulgaria, Bulgarian, lawmakers, members, parliament, MPs, Boyko Borisov

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