/ world today news/ The poor employers who are “cheating” at their expense for the Bulgarian economy and the welfare of the nation – does anyone believe them?
The deadline for deputies to submit proposals between the first and second reading for amendments to the draft law on labor migration and labor mobility passed in the first vote has expired. There are 6 different proposals submitted – 2 from BSP, 2 from GERB, 1 from the United Patriots and one joint from GERB and the United Patriots, which repeats Valeri Simeonov’s proposals from October 2017 and even adds new ones.
An increase in the percentage of employed foreigners is planned – instead of the previous 10 percent, the limit will be raised to 20 percent, and for smaller companies to 35 percent. It is also possible to waive the market tests, and access to our labor market is facilitated for candidates who are of Bulgarian origin. The term for issuing the Unified work and residence permit is reduced from 30 days to 20 days, and for registration of seasonal employment up to 90 days – from 20 days to 15 days. The List of professions for which there is a shortage of highly qualified specialists is also removed. The proposal to extend the period of stay of foreigners to 2 and 3 years opens up the possibility of an additional increase to 5 years – as much as is necessary for the foreigner to stay permanently in Bulgaria. Thus, in practice, we will be importing new Bulgarian citizens.
“We know the problems of Bulgarian business, of Bulgarian entrepreneurs, that they need qualified labor, but we ask where is the state?”. This was commented by BSP deputy Dragomir Stoynev, who expressed the position of BSP that
such an approach is unacceptable
moreover, it is necessary to hear the opinion of the trade unions and to consider the change in the Tripartite Council for Social Partnership in Protection of the Rights of Bulgarian Workers.
We should not agree on the increase of the percentages for large and medium-sized companies, because the statistics of the Employment Agency do not show such a need, but for micro and small enterprises it can be discussed, commented the chief employment expert of KNSB Atanaska Todorova. The Law on Labor Migration and Labor Mobility, adopted less than two years ago, has already been amended three times and is in the process of being amended again. The latest project for changes to the law is in connection with the transposition of the so-called Directive for researchers and students. Along with the texts for it, however, changes are being “pushed” in other texts that do not affect the subject and objectives of this directive. Something similar happened some time ago – with the preamble of the Law on the Interior, the majority in the National Assembly approved the first changes for labor migration! The KNSB expert also claims that
the proposals were not discussed
both in the interdepartmental working group and in the National Council for Labor Migration and Labor Mobility, the National Council for the Promotion of Employment and the National Council for Tripartite Cooperation.
In the last two months of 2017, as DUMA learned from the social partners, the Minister of Labor and Social Policy requested opinions on only five companies that expressed a desire to hire foreigners for more than 10% of their average number of employees. Thanks to additional checks that the trade unions made, it was established that two of these companies violated the labor legislation with regard to Bulgarian workers and employees.
We believe that it is high time to hold an open conversation, without snobbery and with clear arguments and evidence of the facts, based on official data, not with insinuations and falsehoods – how many and what kind of vacancies there are and why employers exert long-term pressure on the authorities for facilitating the importation of workers from third countries
to the detriment of the Bulgarian worker
This opinion on the problem was expressed by CT “Support”. And they translated data of the Employment Agency that as of January 16, 2018 only 9511 vacancies were announced. There were over 232,000 registered unemployed at the end of December. And before someone once again declares the Bulgarian worker a fraud, we remind you that the moment he goes abroad, he works and fills the budget of the other country with taxes and insurance. We drive our workers abroad and import workers from third countries. In order to keep salaries low in Bulgaria!, the trade unionists from “Podkrepa” are categorical. From there, they report that a huge part of the announced job positions are for people with a maximum of X class completed – almost 84% of all.
Thanks to our efforts, evidence of unfair employers was taken into account; cases of companies that do not have a single worker in the country, but claim that by importing aircraft technicians they will compensate for the shortage of specialists in Bulgaria; international transport companies that offer their drivers sleeper vans; whole sectors that are famous for high salaries, but provide their employees at the level of the minimum insurance income, “Podkrepa” also claims. And they state that the confederation will continue to oppose attempts to increase labor and social dumping in Bulgaria.
No one denies
that the Bulgarian labor market is faced with a shortage of labor in certain professions and specialties, while at the same time there are unemployed persons in the two main risk groups without appropriate skills and/or experience – long-term unemployed and young people not participating in any form of employment , education or training. The negative trends of an aging and declining population, long-term unemployment, the decreasing level of economic activity and employment, unemployment among disadvantaged groups, low flexibility and adaptability of the workforce and the right to free movement are the challenges facing the Bulgarian labor market, which are faced by the social partners.
With the changes proposed by the majority in the parliament, the loophole opens even more for the employment of foreign workers in our country. So far, there has been no convincing answer to the question of whether workers, including those from third countries, are needed for the development of the Bulgarian economy, and whether another solution is possible. This is a question that the social partners have been thinking about for a long time.
The representative organizations of employers at the national level, however, hastened to express their approval and support of the proposal of 02/09/2018, submitted by MP Khristian Mitev and his colleagues from GERB and United Patriots.
Employers know one thing and say one thing
– there are no personnel for the job, the business will die, the economy will burn if we do not import workers from outside. It is naive to the point of stupidity to expect that closing the labor market to the import of workers and specialists from third countries will accelerate the growth of incomes in the country, they cynically state. They call the trade union demands in this direction populist, bring from nine mountains to the tenth water to prove their rightness and concern for our situation. Although imported workers will be more expensive, since apart from salary and insurance costs, they are also required to provide accommodation, transport to and from their country of origin, incur costs for issuing work permits, for work visas , for market research, for legalizations, etc. How noble people, right? They put their heads in the bag only to save the economy, where they screw it up as they please. They are even ready to take the bread of the Bulgarian workers because of their self-sacrifice. At the same time, they realize that “the birth, upbringing, training, qualification and retraining of a worker is a continuous process, and production cannot stop and wait for decades of future uncertain development of the demographic situation, of the system of education and qualification and of adoption of modern, efficient and flexible labor legislation”.
Did you see this truth just now, gentlemen?
And what have you done about it so far? Today you rush to solve problems on the path of least resistance, because you don’t know where you will be tomorrow, who will rule, whether you will be blown under the tail? Therefore, you probably draw even apocalyptic pictures in your defense: “without importing workers, the development of the economy will stop, limiting itself to today’s limited possibilities. As a final result, we will have to discuss the reduction of public spending, as well as the freezing or reduction of pensions due to the coming of the day when (not only for demographic reasons) one worker in the real sector will have to earn what is due for two pensioners”. As they say – tears fall on a stranger’s grave!
According to the official information of the Employment Agency in 2017 5,156 foreigners, citizens of third countries, received permission or registration to work in our country. Of them, the largest number are seasonal workers up to 90 days (market test and education and qualification documents are not required) – 3547 persons, followed by the unified residence and work permit – 467 persons. The people who worked last year with an EU Blue Card are 177, of which 117 are from the List of occupations for which no market test is carried out.
In 2017, 455 students of full-time studies in Bulgarian higher education institutions received registration for employment, and 369 people received registration for short-term employment of seconded workers for a period of up to 3 months.
For January 2018, 66 third-country nationals received a work permit or registration.
Foreigners working in Bulgaria. They are ready to work for low wages, they think that living here is cheap
Bulgarians working abroad in pursuit of higher incomes and living standards
#open #labor #market #imports #dark
