Labour inspectors found more than 4,600 breaches of labour law at seasonal businesses on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast between May and September 2026. The figures come from the General Labour Inspectorate Executive Agency (GLI), which has finished its annual campaign in the seaside resorts.

Inspectors from the Burgas, Varna and Dobrich directorates carried out 950 checks. Colleagues from other directorates joined them for stricter control on the coast. The businesses checked employ 27,894 people.

In total, 142 people worked without an employment contract, which leaves them with no guarantee of pay, social insurance or paid leave. Inspectors also found 50 foreigners without access to the Bulgarian labour market and 24 minors working without permission from the inspectorate.

There were 622 breaches of working-time rules and 486 of pay rules. Inspectors also found gaps in health and safety rules, most often in staff briefings and electrical safety. They issued 330 penalty notices for the breaches.

The GLI says seasonal businesses are risky in summer because of undeclared work. This includes work with no contract, part-time contracts for people who actually work eight or more hours, and the hiring of minors and citizens of non-EU countries.

A written employment contract with clear terms and pay protects workers' rights best, the agency says. Workers must get it before they start work. The GLI advises asking for a copy signed by both sides, a copy of the notification of the start of work filed with the territorial directorate of the National Revenue Agency (NRA), stamped by that office, and a job description.

When people hide the real conditions of their work, inspectors find it harder to help them and enforce the law. The GLI therefore urges workers to report violations of their rights while they are still at their job.

Across Bulgaria, inspectors made 24,772 checks in the first six months of 2026 and found more than 96,000 breaches of labour law. In all, 1,774 people worked without an employment contract, and there were 51,576 breaches of health and safety rules.

People can report violations in person at any regional directorate, by post, by courier, through the form on the agency's website or through the Secure Electronic Delivery System of the Ministry of e-Government.