Bulgaria's tripartite council failed to agree a common position on two changes to the Labour Code proposed by Kostadin Kostadinov and a group of MPs. One would add a new public holiday. The other would change how long an employer must pay compensation for an unlawful dismissal.
This story follows our earlier report on parliament's rejection of protection for parents on fixed-term contracts. At that time, parliament's labour, demographic and social policy committee turned down at first reading changes to the Labour Code meant to protect parents on fixed-term contracts.
The MPs want National Reconciliation Day to become a public holiday. They also propose that compensation for unlawful dismissal be paid for as long as the court case to prove the dismissal was unlawful lasts, instead of the current 6 months. The limit used to be 4 months.
The bill has passed a first vote in the parliamentary social committee, where the majority rejected the holiday part.
Labour and social policy minister Natalia Efremova opposes both proposals. Her ministry objects to the holiday because it would raise costs in the public and private sectors.
On the time limit, Efremova said the Civil Procedure Code sets fairly short deadlines for a court to rule on an unlawful dismissal dispute. That is also the period for which the employer pays compensation. In the minister's view, the payment is not a punishment for the employer, there is no reason for a change for now, and the current text is enough.
Asya Goneva of the KNSB trade union confederation is against putting the holiday in the Labour Code. She said public holidays should be set by the National Assembly. Any such proposal needs a close look, she said: what goals it pursues, whose interests it affects in the public and private sectors, and what effect is sought. For that reason the KNSB does not back the change. Compensation for an unlawfully dismissed worker or employee should be paid for an adequate period, Goneva said.
Valeri Apostolov of the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour said national and public holidays are set by the National Assembly, so the confederation does not back the bill on this point. He said the cap should be removed and the compensation should match the length of the court case.
All four employer organisations oppose both proposals: the Association of Industrial Capital in Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Industrial Association, the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria. They say there is no reason for another public holiday, or for compensation paid for an open-ended period.