Bulgaria Deputy PM Calls for Minumum Wage Increase in 2015
Society | November 25, 2014, Tuesday // 17:04| views
Ivaylo Kalfin. Photo by BGNES
Social Minister and Deputy PM for social policy Ivaylo Kalfin has announced he will join trade unions' calls and insist on increasing the minimum wage by BGN 40.
Kalfin declared Tuesday he considered freezing of minimum income to be dangerous for the economy.
In his words, he and his colleagues at the Council of Ministers were working to produce within days a final decision on how much the retirement age is to grow next year.
He described as a "bad decision" main ruling party GERB's idea to freeze the minimum wage.
"Fifteen months of deflation in Bulgaria means sluggish consumption and sluggish internal market. There is no way for all this not to reflect on the entire economy. One of the ways to tackle it is to push the income [up], and moreover the lowest income," the Bulgarian National Radio quoted Kalfin as saying.
On Monday one of the two biggest Bulgarian trade unions KNSB also demanded a hike in the minimum wage.
Employers, alongside the Finance Minister, however maintain such a move could hinder Bulgaria's fragile growth.
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