Luca Visentini, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation has paid a visit to Bulgaria. The aim of the visit was to discuss social topics during the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2018, as well the position of this country regarding establishing of a European Pillar of Social Rights, which is expected to be presented in November in Gothenburg. During the talks with Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and the ministers from the Cabinet, issues such as wage convergence between Eastern and Western Europe, the EU's directive on posted workers, which was part of the agenda of the recent visit of French President Emmanuel Macron, as well as the Bulgarian support for an alliance for equalizing payment between various categories of labor in the EU we discussed. Special attention has also been paid to the European Social Pillar, which will cover all measures in Europe related to labor and social protection.

More from the head of the European Trade Union Confederation Luca Visentini after his meetings in Sofia:

"It was a very fruitful visit. We have discussed issues of common European importance and topics related to the situation in Bulgaria – mainly issues related to payment. We also discussed the remodeling of the EU's directive on posted workers and according to a proposal from the Bulgarian Prime Minister a separate directive would be created to deal only with heavy truck drivers. The main topic we have talked about was the need for wage convergence for workers in the same position, which is the basis of the proposed directive. We are ready to reach an agreement on the European Social Pillar by the end of the year, which will be of great importance during the Bulgarian Presidency in 2018. From the point of view of the European trade unions, it is unacceptable that there is such a great difference in wages between the countries of Western and Eastern Europe, and Bulgaria is one of the countries with the lowest wages. Regarding wage convergence, one of the objectives is to create a union at a European level between the governments of the Eastern and Western European countries, involving both employers and trade unions, in order for an actual convergence to be achieved for a particular job. Multinational companies must also be involved in this process. Pressure must be put not only on employers but also on multinational companies in order to have a rise in minimum and average wages in the country. Another important initiative is organizing a conference on these topics and we have already received confirmation from Prime Minister Borissov that this would happen within the framework of the Bulgarian Presidency. A big number of countries including Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, but also Western countries including France, Germany, Austria, Sweden and the Netherlands have confirmed willingness to participate in such a forum. This will be a meeting of crucial importance for the working people in Europe."

English: Alexander Markov