Bulgarian GERB MPs Face Pay Cut over Missing Work

Under the order of their leader, ex Bulgarian Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, MPs from the formerly-ruling and now in opposition GERB, are boycotting all sittings of the Parliament. File photo

The Members of the Parliament from the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party, GERB, are facing a pay cut.

Under the order of their leader, ex Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, MPs from the centrist, formerly-ruling and now in opposition GERB, are boycotting all sittings of the Parliament by staging no-shows. They say they will attend only when Election Code amendments are debated.

According to the parliamentary code, however, in case of 3 consecutive absences or 5 absences in the course of one month, the MPs lose 2/3 of their salary thus instead of BGN 2 196 for the month of June, GERB MPs will get BGN 731 and their benefits will be calculated on the latter amount as well. Legal experts of the party argue the benefits must be calculated on the base of the full salary.

If in a few months MPs have to register as unemployed, the above means they will receive lower amounts in social assistance.

In addition, GERB MPs not from Sofia, who are accommodated in park-hotel Moscow until apartments are found and assigned to them, have been asked to leave on grounds they do not show up for work.

Those with doctor’s notes for excused absences have been told to not present them to the Speaker of the Parliament, who is from GERB’s archenemy – the Socialists, the Bulgarian Pressa (Press) daily writes.

According to Pressa, the money shortage is making some in the GERB group nervous and jittery, but no one has dared to admit it officially. GERB have wired to certain MPs BGN 1 000 from the party’s subsidy and remain adamant they would not return in plenary hall.

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