Bulgarian Police Officers Hold a Protest on National Police Day

Bulgarian police officers hold a protest on national police day, 5 July. Their dissatisfaction comes after trade unions and Ministry of Interior management did not reach agreement on pay rise, but only to compensate those who paid for their uniforms out of their own pockets.

BNT reporter Nikolai Minkov who was covering the protest said that hundreds of police officers, gendarmerie, border police officers, fire fighters and the trade unions of the transport organisations gathered at the National Assembly square demanding increase in their salaries from this year, rather than from the next. The Interior minister Valentin Radev had indicated that salary increase may be possible from 2018. Another demand was to equalize the salaries of those officers who were appointed under the Law on the Ministry of interior and those appointed under the Law on Civil Service. They also insist on solving the issue with the uniforms.

In Parliament, Interior Minister Valentin Radev explained that most of the problems were already in the process of being solved, but salary increases could happen next year.

"I don't see tensions, at least from my point of view. This is also the feeling I got at the latest meeting of the Social Partnership Council, where we reached an agreement," the Minister noted.

In his opinion, police officers have a good reason to demand higher pay, and the Ministry leadership is looking into the matter together with the trade unions and the Government.

"I expect this to happen, but I'm not optimistic about this year, as the protesting officers inist. I will probably happen early next year," Radev said.