An international conference on the minimum wage and collective bargaining in Bulgaria and the EU is being held in Sofia today and tomorrow. The European Trade Union Confederation is organising it, and Bulgaria's CITUB union is the host.

This year's conference looks at how to raise pay through collective labour agreements. Delegates are also discussing how far collective bargaining has got and what the rules on the minimum wage are in Bulgaria and across the EU.

Finance minister Galab Donev met unions and employers a few days ago to discuss the proposals for the minimum wage.

CITUB wants the minimum wage to be €690, not the proposed €660. The union also insists that public sector pay should rise by 10%, not the proposed 5%.