The KNSB trade union wants public sector pay to rise by 10% next year, not the 5% the finance ministry plans, union president Plamen Dimitrov said. He spoke today after meeting finance minister Galab Donev at the ministry in Sofia.

This report follows our earlier story on the start of Donev's talks with unions and employers on the 2027 budget. The minister himself called those meetings.

The ministry plans a deficit of 3.5% of GDP on a cash basis and 4.3% on an accrual basis. Dimitrov says a 3.5% deficit means "very steep fiscal consolidation". That means the budget will be tightened sharply and spending will be cut somewhere.

For the security sector, the ministry plans cuts and a freeze on incomes. The planned 5% rise in public sector pay will not apply there. The cuts are similar to those planned for the rest of the administration, and Dimitrov considers them fair.

KNSB's pay demands would need about 380m euros more. Dimitrov says the money can be found, because revenue in 2027 will beat the ministry's forecast. The union doubts the ministry's macro-framework, meaning its main forecasts for the economy. It believes expected GDP is set too low, and tax revenue with it.

"Planning that is too conservative right now creates the illusion that we have no solution, that it is not possible," Dimitrov said.

He gave the example of library and museum staff with two degrees and two languages who earn 700 or 650 euros. He said these people "cannot make do with that 5%, which is 25 euros net in their pockets. It is a mockery."

There is no deal yet on a minimum wage above the planned 660 euros, but there are signs the figure may not be final. Dimitrov is moderately optimistic. He says that if those in power listen to people, money for a fairer incomes policy will be found, mostly for the lowest paid.

KNSB and its main members are holding a national protest and car convoy in Sofia today under the slogan "For higher incomes!". The protest calls for a rise in incomes of at least 10% in the 2027 budget.

Later today, Donev will meet representatives of employers' organisations.