MPs on parliament's social committee have rejected, at first reading, a change to the Labour Code that would have let employers hire 16- to 18-year-olds by notifying the Labour Inspectorate instead of getting its permission. The vote was 5 for, 9 against and 5 abstentions.
Svilen Trifonov and a group of MPs from Democratic Bulgaria tabled the bill. Employers now need permission to hire young people. Under the proposal, advance notice would have been enough.
The authors say minors would keep their special protection and only the form of the advance check would change. Rules on medical fitness would stay, as would limits on the type of work, working hours and conditions. Inspectors would keep their powers to check later and to act on violations. The explanatory notes to the bill say the aim is a faster, workable way for school students to start seasonal and hourly jobs.
The social ministry opposes the bill. Minister Natalia Efremova said the rules for young workers comply with International Labour Organization conventions, and that Bulgarian law follows international principles on protecting this group closely. She said permits are not slow to issue, and the main point is to find out whether the work poses a risk to workers' health.
Maria Todorova of Progressive Bulgaria does not back the change because she thinks the current system works well. Venko Sabrutev of We Continue the Change backs the bill because, he says, it will make it easier for young people to start work.
The trade unions do not support the bill either, said Todor Kapitanov, vice president of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria.