Employer organisations and trade unions have sent a joint letter to the government asking for an urgent meeting over the high price of electricity. They warn that production may stop, people may lose their jobs and prices in the shops may rise.
The Council of Ministers says the energy minister and the economy minister will meet business and union representatives.
The social partners also want the aid programmes reviewed again. AIKB, KRIB and BSK issued a joint position on the risks of delayed compensation. They say firms may cut or stop production. The sectors most at risk are those that use a lot of power and struggle to compete. Employers also warn of job cuts, shorter working hours and late wages.
Compensation is now paid only when the price per megawatt hour is above a higher threshold. It covers up to 80% of the difference, and the money arrives after 10 months. Business says a delay of several months could have a very negative effect.
A bakery owner says her electricity costs rose by 35% in September, 89% in October and 137% in November, compared with before. By her calculations, an item that costs €2 must go up by 7 cents because of September, 17 cents because of October and 27 cents because of November. For items priced at €5 to €6, the rise for the customer is much bigger, she says.
The letter she received from her energy company back in September describes how she will be compensated. She says she cannot work out her prices from it. She recalculates her costs every day, lives with great uncertainty and thinks the real compensation could turn out to be 10%, 20% or some other share.
GERB-SDS proposes monthly compensation when the electricity price rises above €92 per megawatt hour. The money would come from the Electricity System Security Fund, which the party estimates will receive an extra €1.4bn.
Zhecho Stankov of GERB-SDS said firms will receive their high electricity bills next week. He said the only way to stop these bills being passed on in the prices of goods and services is firm action against inflation, meaning the general rise in prices.
Measures against inflation are long-term work, said Anton Ivanov, energy policy adviser to the KNSB union. He said the talks with industry and the unions also aim to stabilise prices.