The Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) has strongly criticized the draft 2026 state budget, calling the proposed 5 percent increase in public sector salaries inadequate. According to the union’s president, Plamen Dimitrov, such an adjustment fails to reflect the rising cost of living and will likely lead to growing social unrest in several key sectors.

Dimitrov argued that the wage increase should be at least twice as high for many employees, particularly those working in public media and agriculture. “We insist on no less than a 10 percent rise for staff at the Bulgarian National Radio, the Bulgarian National Television, and the Bulgarian News Agency,” he said, adding that the same applies to employees of agricultural agencies such as the Food Agency, the Hail Suppression Agency, regional agricultural services, and state forestry and hunting enterprises.

CITUB also condemned the government’s decision to set the 2026 minimum wage at 1,183 BGN (605 EUR), instead of the initially planned 1,212 BGN (620 EUR). The union called the change “scandalous” and claimed it would unlawfully deprive workers of income. According to CITUB’s chief economist Lyuboslav Kostov, the 15 EUR monthly reduction would cost each minimum-wage worker about 180 EUR annually. He illustrated the impact through everyday goods: this sum equals roughly 38 loaves of bread, 10 kilograms of cheese, 8 packs of eggs, or 7 kilograms of meat less per year.

The union estimates that nearly 270,000 Bulgarians are currently employed full-time on the minimum wage. Dimitrov accused the Finance Ministry of undermining workers’ purchasing power and suggested that instead of cutting labor costs or raising social security contributions, the government should introduce a one-time excess profit tax on sectors like banking and gambling, an option already permitted by the European Commission.

In addition, Dimitrov criticized economic think tanks such as the Institute for Market Economics (IME), accusing them of spreading “false information” about a supposed rise in the number of state administration employees. He cited official National Statistical Institute (NSI) data showing that the number of civil servants has, in fact, been declining.

CITUB maintains that the current draft budget fails to protect low-income workers and public employees, warning that if no adjustments are made, social tension will continue to grow across Bulgaria’s public sector.

Update: On Friday, October 31, the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) and the "Podkrepa" Labour Confederation will hold a warning protest in front of the Council of Ministers, ahead of the meeting of the National Council for Tripartite Cooperation, where the 2026 state budget will be discussed.

The demonstration is being organized in response to the unions’ opposition to the proposed reduction of the minimum wage from early 2026 and what they describe as the absence of a coherent state income policy.

The protest is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.