From a cabinet minister to a homeless man – what labour means to Bulgarians

published on 5/1/25 9:35 AM

Photo: Reuters

International Labor Day on May 1 in the mass consciousness of Bulgarians is often associated with the period of socialism and the grandiose demonstrations that the older generation of Bulgarians remembers well. However, it has much deeper roots. Its origins date back to the workers' protests in Chicago in 1886, known as the "Haymarket Riot", when industrial workers demanded more rights and, more precisely, an 8-hour workday.

But let's go beyond the encyclopedic facts and enter "real life". Namely, how Bulgarians perceive May 1.

Although after November 10, 1989, when the Socialist regime in Bulgaria was taken down, the holiday somewhat lost its ideological component, May 1 is still an official holiday in Bulgaria. And most of all, a day off, when we don't work, but often choose to go on a spring trip. Does Labour Day still retain its symbolic value and do we still understand its meaning?

"Values have become very devalued if we look at them from the traditional idea of the obedient, hardworking person who works from morning till evening for a living - this has long since died out. Young people prefer freedom and independence," states social anthropologist Haralan Alexandrov:

"Work as one of the highest forms of self-expression, as it was in previous times, has undoubtedly become devalued. In most late-modern societies, this idea has changed and work is not the leading, main model through which a person is present in the world. New generations view their social participation with a different register of behavior. Things like artistic self-expression, professional success, development, entertainment... are much higher than labour. However, it has not been crossed out, it continues to be formally considered a value. But what people consider success is the prestige they have, not the contribution they make."

Currently, the shortage of qualified people in the labour market puts workers in a much better position to negotiate and demand better conditions, says the expert, explaining:

"The question, however, is whether they can organize. Trade union institutions are traditionally strong, mainly in the state administration. But there is no doubt that working conditions have improved significantly. However, technological developments are outpacing human developments and this will most likely intensify with the advent of artificial intelligence, with many people losing their jobs," predicts the researcher of social behavior.

And while older people are trying to work even after retirement in order to be able to support the family budget, young Bulgarians are looking for immediate financial fulfillment. Such impressions are shared by the former Minister of Regional Development Ivan Shishkov. He recalls that honest work is fundamental for any society. "Before we work honestly, we must have our education. Our children must be brought up in the fact that in order to succeed, you must work hard and study hard":

"And it is extremely important while you are young to work so that you can further develop your qualities and then think about how much you will earn. This also applies to state administration - young people who want to work in administration and truly help the state should know that public administration is not so tempting financially, but it provides such knowledge and qualities that are worth it, so that one day a person can truly be useful to society and to themselves."

And the opinion that politicians do not work is perhaps somewhat expectedly also advocated by people whose fate has brought them to the lowest step of the social ladder - to be both unemployed and homeless.

"How should we evaluate Labor Day, after "when we can't find any work? And we're homeless. What can we do? The state is to blame. Once upon a time, everyone worked. And now what - everyone looks at you with a sullen faces and chases you out," complains Nikolay, who lives on the street, although in the ideal center of the capital city. And he adds - he had a microstroke, but received no assistance from the healthcare system. However, he also had the desire to work.

However, not everyone complains about the conditions provided to them by the system:

"Every day is a day of work, when you work hard. And hard work is honestly giving everything you can of yourself. In the end, when you leave, you should not be ashamed of what you've done," shares his vision of professional ethics Emil, a worker in a fruit and vegetable store - a job that requires getting up in the wee hours of the night every day and serious physical labor.

Adolescents want to be work and be independent, we learn from Presiyan, who will graduate from high school in a few years.

"Work is about working hard for something and in most cases you expect a reward for that thing. Yes, I want to work hard, I've focused on software and hardware. There's a future there" the young man sees the prospects ahead of him, and his classmate Anatoly also doesn't work, but he reflects on the topic of work:

"I train, but sport can also be said to be work. From sport, people can gain qualities that will help them later in life. Discipline."

The Radio Bulgaria team wishes you a wonderful holiday.

Photos: Reuters, apnews.com, BGNES, archive, BNR

English publication by Rositsa Petkova

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