Bulgaria starts collecting statements of support for wage union

Speaking in the Bulgarian Parliament on Friday September 1, Mr Márton Gyöngyösi and Mr Mihail Petrov, the Bulgarian member of the Citizens’ Committee for the Wage Union Initiative announced that the collection of signatures began in Bulgaria as well. Joining in the event widely covered by the media, another Bulgarian party also decided to back the initiative.

Despite the highly intensive Bulgarian domestic political life in early September, the media was highly interested in the press conference where Mr Márton Gyöngyösi and Mr Mihail Petrov, the Bulgarian member of the Citizens’ Committee for the Wage Union Initiative announced that the collection of signatures began in Bulgaria as well.

Unexpected support

Without indicating his intentions in advance, Mr Volen Siderov, the president and MP of ATAKA Party congratulated Mr Gyöngyösi and Mr Petrov for the initiative, in front of the cameras right before the beginning of the press conference. He also announced that his party was going to do its best to support the initiative. Mr Siderov’s statements are particularly significant since ATAKA delegated the Minister for Economic Affairs into the coalition government.

Statements of support are collected

Speaking at the press conference launching the collection of signatures, Mr Gyöngyösi introduced the media to the key objectives and current achievements in relation with the initiative. The representative of the Citizens’ Committee said that the project required a non-partisan cooperation of political and non-governmental organizations joining their efforts for the future of Europe. As he put it, the economic differences tearing the EU apart cause problems in the west just as much as in the east. The politician explained that it was the reason why French president Emmanuel Macron visited several Central European states, including Bulgaria.

Mr Petrov, the Bulgarian member of the Citizens’ Committee and the president of VMRO’s youth platform talked about the challenges that young citizens had to face. He emphasized what losses Bulgaria suffered due to the fact that their young people emigrate from their homeland where they cannot make ends meet. VMRO’s secretary general Julian Angelov said Bulgaria was running towards a demographic disaster while the country has the lowest wages in the European Union, and these were the reasons why his party decided to join the Wage Union initiative. Talking about the importance of eliminating wage inequalities between men and women, VMRO’s women’s platform president Ms Sultana Petrova emphasized that her party, a member of the government coalition was relentlessly working for increasing wages in Bulgaria.

After the press conference, VMRO’s politicians signed the first statements of support, thus launching the wage union campaign in Bulgaria.

Source: Press release – Wage Union