The Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) is organizing a protest in the center of Sofia against the draft budget for next year. The protest, entitled "NO to the disunity of workers! YES to higher incomes!", gathered people with specific demands.
The main demands include a horizontal income policy of 10%, legislative changes to encourage collective bargaining, as well as an end to the opposition between different sectors and the instilling of a negative attitude towards those working in the public sector.
CITUB is calling for additional funds of nearly 62 million euros for underfunded structures in the "State Administration" and "Transport" sectors. According to them, this will allow a 10% increase in the remuneration of those employed in these sectors.
Additionally, the union is demanding nearly 12 million euros for the National Revenue Agency, the National Social Security Institute, the Social Assistance Agency and the Employment Agency. For the "Transport" sector, a little over 50 million euros are needed, including subsidies for BDZ (Bulgarian State Railways), "Bulgarian Posts" and public transport in Sofia, Varna and Ruse.
"We want the structures in the budget that did not receive an increase in their salaries to receive it, CITUB is demanding a 10% increase. People are here to show that they are not second-class citizens," commented Todor Kapitanov, Deputy Chairman of CITUB.