04.05.2022
CHANGES PROVIDE FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF REDUCED WORKING HOURS
During the Covid labor crisis, for the first time, there was talk of "homeoffice" unilaterally by the employer.
It turned out that this mechanism was hitherto unknown to the labor legislation in the country, binding as a principle the employment at home or distance work with the consent of the parties to the employment relationship. The legislator was forced to "validate" some of the rules introduced by administrative order, quickly dressing them in legal form.
For the first time, the Labor Code keeps pace with two issues that the pandemic has made particularly pressing. In order to better reconcile work and family responsibilities, a person will have the opportunity, if necessary, to request for some time remote work, change of working hours or its distribution, as well as other changes in the employment relationship.
This applies to parents of children under the age of 8, and for the first time to people who care for a parent, spouse or other relatives in the direct line for medical or other serious reasons.
The texts are included in a draft of amendments to the Labor Code, proposed for public discussion on the public consultation portal here. The reason for them is the European directive 2019/1158 / EU concerning the balance between professional and personal life of parents and carers.
A second important Directive (EU) 2019/1152, aims to improve working conditions by promoting more transparent and predictable employment, while ensuring labor market flexibility. The requirements of the Directive must be transposed into our national legislation by August 2022.
Compatibility between personal and work sphere
"It is good to know that when we talk about reconciling personal and professional life, we mean more flexible schemes of work - opportunities for employees to use reduced working hours or reduced working week or working day. Instead of the usual 8-hour working day, there should be 6, 5 or 4 hours, but this cannot be done without the consent of both parties to the employment relationship," said CITUB.
One positive trend is the predictability of employment relationships. The European legislator is working to reduce the number of fixed-term employment contracts and encourage the employer to conclude permanent ones, with a view to the security of employees.
So far, the Minister of Labor and Social Policy has invited trade unions and employers' organizations to sit down at the negotiating table to agree on what to change in the regulation of telework.
04.05.2022
THE STATE WILL PAY THE RENT TO THE POOR
Bulgarian citizens from vulnerable groups will also be able to benefit from the rent assistance provided by the state as a measure to stimulate employment among refugees from Ukraine. This was stated in "The Day Begins" by Deputy Prime Minister for Effective Governance Kalina Konstantinova.
It is envisaged that the state will provide a monthly allowance of BGN 400 within three months, which will be targeted for the payment of rent. The aid will be paid through the employers of the new employees.
"The measure will not only be for refugees, but also for Bulgarians who need and fall into the target group - for example, who have not worked for a long time. We believe that this crisis gives us the opportunity to smooth over problems and take measures that will be for the benefit of all." said Konstantinova.
The specific parameters of the measure are currently being written. The deputy prime minister expects it to take effect in a few weeks.
In the meantime, a program is being drawn up to build children's centers to take over children from Ukraine. According to Konstantinova, they will also benefit Bulgarian parents, especially in cities where there is a crisis with places for kindergartens.
04.05.2022
„ARSENAL“ IS LOOKING FOR 300 WORKERS
„Arsenal“ AD in Kazanlak is announcing almost 300 vacancies. This is clear on the official website of the company.
We are looking for specialists with higher technical and chemical education or with secondary special education with continuing education. Vacancies have been announced for engineers - metallurgist, designer, technologist, chemical process engineer, as well as shift supervisor, plumbing engineer and power engineer.
Most of the announced positions are in the professions of millers, qualifiers, machine operators, adjusters and other workers in the production.
According to the official website, the plant has over 10,000 employees and over 1,200 technical staff. The company promises a number of social bonuses such as additional monthly bonuses for Easter and Christmas, food vouchers, free vacation at sea in the company's resort, kindergarten in the company, cake for every birthday, production of confectionery "Arsenal", payment of hiring highly qualified and promising staff from another locality.
29.04.2022
DISCIPLINARY SANCTIONS ARE DELETED AFTER 1 YEAR
The culpable non-fulfillment of the labor obligations is a violation of the labor discipline. The violator shall be punished by the disciplinary sanctions provided for in the Labor Code (LC), regardless of the property, administrative-penal or criminal liability, if such liability is provided. This is recorded in the LC itself. It also ordered that the disciplinary sanctions that may be imposed on employees are three - reprimand, warning of dismissal and dismissal.
The Labor Code also specifies the violations of labor discipline, which lead to the penalties in question. These can be delays, early departures, absenteeism or non-compaction of working hours. They may be the appearance of the employee in a condition that does not allow him to perform the tasks assigned to him. Or non-fulfillment of the assigned work, non-observance of the technical and technological rules, as well as production of low-quality products. Penalties can also be imposed for non-compliance with the rules for healthy and safe working conditions or for non-compliance with legal orders of the employer. Abuse of trust and damage to the good name of the company, as well as dissemination of confidential information about it and, last but not least, damage to the employer's property and scattering of materials, raw materials, energy and other means are also considered violations.
In determining the disciplinary sanction, the gravity of the violation, the circumstances under which it was committed, as well as the behavior of the employee shall be taken into account. It is important to know that only one disciplinary sanction can be imposed for the same violation of labor discipline. The Labor Code also stipulates that disciplinary sanctions are imposed by the employer or by an official appointed by him with managerial functions. Disciplinary sanctions against the head of the undertaking, as well as against employees appointed by the higher authority, shall be imposed by that authority.
Here, too, we come to the specifics related to whether it is possible to delete disciplinary sanctions imposed under the Labor Code. The code responds positively. Thus, according to Article 197 of the Labor Code, disciplinary sanctions are deleted upon the expiration of 1 year from their imposition. The deletion is effective from now on. However, it is explicitly stated that the deletion of the disciplinary dismissal is not a ground for reinstatement of the employee to his/her previous job.
There are also special rules for early cancellation of disciplinary sanctions. Thus, disciplinary sanctions, with the exception of dismissal, may be lifted by the employer before the expiry of the above-mentioned one-year period, if the employee has not committed other breaches of labor discipline. Here again, the deletion has effect from now on. In these latter cases, the deletion is carried out by a motivated written order, which is served on the employee.
29.04.2022
HOW TO CHANGE THE BANK BECAUSE OF HIGH FEES?
The fees that banks charge for customer service are constantly growing, without necessarily related to improving the service. Each bank is obliged to notify the consumers two months before the change in the tariff and if they do not agree, they can refuse the payment service within this two-month period and terminate their contract with the bank without paying penalties and other costs. These notifications are usually uploaded on banks' websites and are difficult to spot before the tariff change takes effect.
But even if you miss this deadline, it's good to know how you can change the bank in general. You can now find many platforms on the Internet that offer a comparison of bank fees and choose a better option.
How to transfer a payment account from one bank to another?
Step 1: Open a payment account in the bank you want (the host bank) in the same currency as your bank account you want to leave (the transferring bank).
Step 2: Submit to the bank with your new bank account Request for transfer of a payment account according to the bank's sample.
Step 3: That's it. Banks do whatever it takes after they get your permission.
Your request gives you the choice to specify which specific incoming credit transfers, periodic transfer orders and direct debit agreements must be transferred, as well as the date from which the periodic transfer and direct debit orders will be executed by the host bank. . You may want to personally inform your payers and recipients of funds, in which case the host bank will issue you standard notification letters with your payment account details.
ATTENTION! During execution, your old bank cannot block transfers before the date you specify in the authorization to transfer the payment account.
For which things banks can not charge fees:
ATTENTION! If your framework agreement with the bank you are leaving has lasted longer than 6 months, the same bank cannot charge you a fee for closing the payment account according to Art. 113, para. 3 of the Law on Payment Services and Payment Systems, but other due fees should be paid, reminded by the association "Active Users".
When in certain cases fees are charged, according to the law they must be acceptable and correspond to the actual costs of the bank. If one of the banks does not comply with the obligations it has to transfer the payment account, and the consumer immediately incurs a financial loss, he is entitled to reimbursement. There are exceptions in extraordinary and unforeseen circumstances, but in case of doubt, you can contact the Active Users Association for clarification.
28.04.2022
HOW TO TRANSFER YOUR MONEY FOR SECOND PENSION IN NSSI?
People who have accumulated contributions to private universal pension funds can transfer their money to the NSSI Pension Fund.
The service is available to individuals born after 31 December 1959 and insured in the Universal Pension Fund (UPF) of Supplementary Mandatory Pension Insurance (SMPI). They must also meet other requirements:
To have at least 5 years left until reaching the age for acquiring the right to a pension for insurance length of service and age;
Not to have been granted a pension for length of service and age or an occupational pension for early retirement;
1 year has elapsed from the date on which insurance in the UPF began.
How and where do we declare change?
The service is requested by submitting an "Application for selection for change of insurance from supplementary mandatory pension insurance to a universal pension fund in the Pensions fund of the state social insurance" according to an approved model.
The application can be submitted in the following ways:
In the office of the National Revenue Agency at the permanent address of the natural person - personally or by a person authorized by a notarized explicit power of attorney;
electronically with a qualified electronic signature (QES) of the insured person, through the Electronic Services Portal of the National Revenue Agency (NRA): https://inetdec.nra.bg.
In order for the service to be accessible electronically with QES, an Application for submission of documents electronically and use of the electronic services provided by the NRA with QES to an obligated person must be submitted and full access to the NRA services is confirmed.
Term
The application may be submitted within the following deadlines:
up to 5 years before reaching the age for acquiring the right to a pension for length of service and age, provided that at the time of application no pension for length of service and age or occupational pension for early retirement has been granted;
after 1 year from the date on which the person started insurance in UPF.
The result
Accepted/rejected Application for change of the choice for insurance from additional mandatory pension insurance in a universal pension fund to a Pension fund of the NSSI.
When submitting the application electronically, the sender is sent an automatic message with ent. № and a notification of acceptance or rejection of the application shall be issued for the result of the processing. This information is also available through the profile of the person in the electronic services provided by the NRA with QES, section "Application for choice for change of insurance" ⇒ "Application for choice for change of insurance based on Article 4b of SSC" ⇒ "Information" .
When the application is rejected, the message on the result of the processing shall state the specific reason why it was not accepted.
After successful processing of the "Application for selection for change of insurance from Supplementary mandatory pension insurance to a Universal pension fund in the Pension fund of the State social insurance" contributions for supplementary mandatory pension insurance will begin to be transferred to the Pension fund of the National Insurance institute from the first day of the month following the month in which it was submitted.
Fees
When submitting an application for a change of insurance for a second pension to the National Revenue Agency, the agency does not collect a fee. There is no sanction provided, as this is a right of the insured person, not an obligation.
28.04.2022
BULGARIAN POSTS CANNOT ACCEPT ANNUAL TAX DECLARATIONS
Bulgarian Posts cannot accept annual tax returns, the National Revenue Agency warns.
There are five days left until the end of the tax campaign for individuals, and the fastest way to file returns is through a personal identification code. If the taxpayer does not have one, he can use the services of a courier company and the date of acceptance of the shipment will be considered as submission. Another option is to submit the declaration to the office of the Revenue Agency tomorrow or on May 3.
28.04.2022
BGN 1,845.2 MILLION HAVE BEEN PAID SINCE THE START OF THE 60/40 MEASURE SO FAR
From the start of the measure 60/40 in March 2020 until the middle of April this year, BGN 1,845.2 million have been paid, the National Social Security Institute announced. The funds supported 13,646 employers and maintained the employment of 331,518 employees.
A total of 173,947 calendar days were lost due to accidents at work. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the use of digital technologies, new working methods and improved practices at the operational and institutional level of management and service in Europe's social security institutions. A summary of the most interesting European practices will undoubtedly arouse the interest of experts and a wide range of readers.
28.04.2022
WORLD DAY FOR SAFETY AND HEALTH AT WORK IS CELEBRATED EVERY YEAR ON APRIL 28
World Day for Safety and Health at Work is celebrated every year on April 28. On this day, we also honor the memory of the victims of accidents at work and occupational diseases, reminding the world community once again that they can be prevented.
The data of the National Social Security Institute show an increase in the number of accidents at work in Bulgaria in 2021 compared to the previous 2020.
The increase in accidents at work in 2021 is taking place against the background of a reduction in the number of employees in many companies - due to leave or layoffs, cessation of activities in some industries, part-time work or distance work from other companies, pointed out by the Podkrepa Labor Union yesterday in a statement on the occasion of April 28.
Last year, 2392 people were injured in work accidents in Bulgaria, 68 of them were deaths.
In 2020, the number of victims of accidents at work was 2309, of which 89 were fatal, according to NSSI data.
The highest number of fatal accidents in construction last year was 18, 10 in land transport, seven in wholesale and retail trade, five in food production, four in metal products and two in forestry and crop production, and in waste collection and water treatment.
However, the total number of fatal accidents at work in 2021 is declining compared to 2020, as well as a decrease in the incidence of deaths - one in every 35 accidents at work, compared to one in 26 in 2020, according to statistics.
Podkrepa Labor Union estimates that every working day - 249 for 2021, between 9 and 10 people have an accident at work, and every four working days a worker in Bulgaria dies.
The trade union notes that the focus and financial resources of employers on measures to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic have been at the expense of measures to ensure overall safety at work, including psychosocial risks in the workplace, musculoskeletal disorders, cardiovascular diseases.
According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), 2.2 million workers worldwide die each year from accidents at work and occupational diseases.
Annually, 270 million workers suffer serious injuries, and the number of cases of occupational diseases is about 160 million.
The ILO estimates that losses from these accidents and illnesses amount to 4% of gross domestic product worldwide. According to the organization, dangerous and unhealthy working conditions also lead to loss of funds and human resources and reduce productivity and product quality.
In 2022, the ILO sets the theme of social dialogue, the participation of workers in the process of ensuring healthy and safe working conditions and the building of a strong culture of safety, health and well-being in enterprises under the motto: "Work together to build a positive culture of safety and health".
World Day for Safety and Health at Work has been celebrated since 2003 by a decision of the International Labor Organization, in order to draw the attention of the world community to health and safety at work, as well as to cultivate a culture of prevention, which is at the heart of the prevention of work-related accidents and illnesses.
Since 1996, this day has been celebrated as the International Day of Solidarity with Victims of Occupational Accidents or Occupational Diseases at the initiative of the International Trade Union Movement.
28.04.2022
NICOLAE CHUCA: ROMANIA AND BULGARIA ARE CONSIDERING A DANUBE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
Romania and Bulgaria are considering a program to develop the Danube River, a river of strategic importance for the transport of goods and people, Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Chuca said on a public television TYR last night. In the program, Chuka said that even before the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, there were talks with the Prime Minister of Bulgaria about the year-round use of the Danube River for freight transport.
We analyzed the possibility of finding a solution for dredging the Danube so that we can ensure traffic on the river throughout the year, because in summer, when the river level falls, there are thresholds that prevent the movement of barges, at least with heavy loads, said Nicolae Chuca. He noted that this is the easiest and cheapest way to transport goods, as well as the most convenient, as it avoids incompatibilities between the railways in Romania and those in Ukraine and Moldova. "The Danube is a river that is of strategic importance in ensuring the transport of goods and not only, including passengers and tourists," said the Romanian Prime Minister.
He added that the Fast Danube program exists at EU level and talks have already been held with European Transport Commissioner Adina Valyan.
"On Friday, the Bulgarian Prime Minister will be in Bucharest and we will discuss the details so that we can use European funds for this purpose. This will be a project that will benefit not only Romania, but also a project that will allow us to get, for example, from Galati to Bremerhaven (Germany), said the Romanian Prime Minister.
