14.06.2024

UNEMPLOYMENT AMONG PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES REACHES 90 PERCENT

Employers should be encouraged, not obliged, to hire people with disabilities, commented the chairman of the National Alliance for Social Responsibility, Georgi Georgiev.

Yesterday he opened the national forum of social services with international participation, dedicated to innovation and good practices in this sector. The conference brought together more than 200 specialists from all over the country, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Labor and its structures. The guests, among whom is the president of the European Association of Service Providers for People with Disabilities, Jim Crow, were greeted by the regional governor of Varna, Andriyana Andreeva, and the mayor, Blagomir Kotsev.

The current normative documents that regulate employment support for people with disabilities are ineffective, pointed out Georgiev. According to him, the quotas for hiring such employees, set for employers, do not work. Unemployment among people with disabilities reaches 90 percent, Georgiev also said.

According to him, it would be good to think in the direction of changing social services in such a way that they create the skills and attitude of users to work, and not to be just passive recipients. Georgiev added that it is necessary to increase services for people who, in addition to social problems, also have health problems.

In the country, there are still imbalances between the regions in terms of the number and types of social services offered, commented the chairman of the National Alliance for Social Responsibility. In his words, the development of the national map of social services, as well as the determination of the financial standards for the next year, are extremely important in this regard. However, in recent years, the social services sector has been one of the successfully developing ones in our country, pointed out Georgiev. According to him, this was helped by the changes in the regulations, the implementation of which may cause difficulties, but at least it helps to enrich the system.

13.06.2024

TRICK TO PARRY AN ADVERSARY WITH THE FRANKLIN EFFECT

A person is good at work, there are not only friends in the office. It is even quite possible that the better he works, the more enemies he will make. Because colleagues see him as a strong competitor, because he raises the bar with his abilities and glosses over their incompetence or sloppiness, because they envy him, etc.

There is even such a dependence - you win more successes, attract more detractors. As you climb higher in the career, the games and interpersonal confrontations you have to engage in become more complex.

Such is life - not everyone can love you, but the question is how to deal with it.

Psychologists advise first not to think of these people as enemies. This infuriates you and gives rise to a strong feeling - hatred. Call them competitors, rivals, detractors, enemies to be parried, not destroyed. They need to stop being an obstacle in your way, but you can do that without hitting them. Defeat them by winning them. Try the so-called "Franklin effect".

Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790) was an American politician, scientist, inventor and publisher. You've seen him — his image is on the $100 bill.

So he was a member of the Pennsylvania State Legislature when he encountered the undisguised hostility of a fellow lawmaker. The man was rich, well-educated, authoritative, and by all accounts it seemed that he would soon gain great influence in the government. Franklin wanted no such enemy. He did not want to yield to him. But it was risky to enter into a direct confrontation.

Then it occurred to him to apply a subtle trick that has stuck in conflict management theories with his name.

Franklin was the founder of America's first public library and a noted book collector. He knew that his rival had a rare book. He wrote him a letter asking him to lend it to him. The man was flattered and immediately sent her away. Franklin returned it a week later with a thank you note.

Before the next parliamentary session, the rival, who until recently had shown open hostility, approached Franklin and spoke to him in a friendly manner. From that moment on, the former enemy showed readiness to assist him in any case.

Psychologists explain what the "Franklin effect" is due to.

Your attitude towards a certain person is formed as a result of your feelings towards him. Sometimes you can't even reasonably answer why someone doesn't like you. Other times, you know you can't stand that co-worker because he rubs off on the boss, always exaggerates his contribution to the job, is capable of dirty tricks, let's say. Your attitude is to despise him, he senses it and begins to have less flattering feelings for you. Add in possible opportunities for professional competition or advancement in the hierarchy, and it's clear that you are enemies, to say the least.

But actions can change feelings. When you force yourself to ask this person for a favor, you adjust your own attitude toward them.

But he also changes his attitude towards you. It is deeply rooted in the consciousness that a person has a duty to help his family, his friends, people with whom he has similar views. If you want a favor from this person, then he falls into one of these categories. If he does you a favor, then for him you also fall into one of these categories.

Thus the human mind invents an acceptable explanation for the service. And this explanation continues to work in the long run - because you are a good person and you could not do something good for a bad person, he becomes a positive character. At least until he proves otherwise with new actions of his own.

"Each of us has a built-in self-preservation mechanism, a lawyer who has the duty to protect our psychological self-esteem. This lawyer explains to our brain the reasons for our actions and justifies us. If we do something bad to someone, it is because they are bad and so he likes. If we do good, then he is a good person, because good is not done to a bad person. Our actions determine what we believe in."

In short, if a colleague is your competitor or detractor, ask them a favor to change their attitude. But think carefully about what help you want from him.

As you notice in Franklin's example, the effect works under several conditions. First, the service is not difficult - the person has the book, it is not much effort to lend it. Second, he feels flattered because he owns something that a distinguished specialist and collector like Franklin does not have and wishes to see. Third, he gets thanks and feels highly appreciated.

When you decide to achieve the "Franklin effect" and think carefully, you will find the right service that you can ask any of your detractors for.

This does not mean that once and for all your relationship with this colleague will go smoothly. If you are rivals for a promotion to the same post, for example, your competition will continue, but probably under more gentlemanly rules.

12.06.2024

COMPENSATION OF SIX WAGES WHEN LEAVING A SECOND JOB

Four years ago, a change was made to the Labor Code regarding the retirement benefit of workers or employees.

According to this change, upon termination of the employment relationship, after the worker or employee has acquired the right to a pension for length of service and age, regardless of the reason for the termination, he is entitled to compensation from the employer in the amount of his gross remuneration for a period of 2 months , and if he has acquired 10 years of work experience at the same employer or in the same group of enterprises in the last 20 years - to compensation in the amount of his gross remuneration for a period of 6 months. This benefit can only be paid once.

Workers often turn to specialists with the question of whether they can receive such compensation if they fulfill the condition of having worked for 10 years out of the last 20 years for the same employer, but in the event that they leave work for a number of reasons without having acquired or exercised the right on pension.

If the employee performs work under an additional employment contract, parallel to the main one, with another employer (so-called external compatibility), it should not affect the missing work experience, because the law explicitly says that this should only be for work with the same employer or in the same group of enterprises.

If in the last 20 years, not less than 10 years of work experience have been acquired by the worker or employee at the employer who terminates the employment relationship, the circumstance of how many employment contracts with this employer the work experience was acquired is not important, as in the periods of "interruption" the worker or employee may have worked for other employers. The requirement is that the 10 years must be with the terminating employer.

If less than 10 years of work experience have been acquired in the last 20 years at the employer terminating the employment relationship, he must assess whether the required 10 years of work experience is not supplemented by work experience acquired by working for another employer, with who fall into the same group of enterprises.

We remind you that according to the law "group of enterprises" is a concept within the meaning of the Law on labor migration and labor mobility, which defines that "group of enterprises" is two or more related enterprises, such as: one enterprise in relation to the other enterprise directly or indirectly owns a preferential share of the subscribed capital of the second enterprise; controls the majority of votes related to the share capital issued by the second entity; has the right to appoint more than half of the members of the administrative, management or supervisory body of the second undertaking, or the undertakings are under the sole management of the parent undertaking.'

Also, workers and employees could not negotiate a clause with the employer that upon leaving they will receive the compensation of 6 salaries, because the right to this compensation arises only when the requirements are fully met (the conditions of Art. 222, Para. 3 of the Labor Code), i.e. at the time of termination of the employment relationship, the worker or employee must have acquired the right to a pension for length of service and age, regardless of the reason for the termination.

These requirements of the law are mandatory and no deviation from them is allowed, including any stipulations in additional agreements. Therefore, there is no possibility of negotiating such a condition in an employment contract or additional agreement.

11.06.2024

ROMANIA INCREASES THE MINIMUM WAGE

From July 1, the minimum wage in Romania becomes 3,700 lei, which is about 1,454 leva. The increase was voted by the government in Bucharest, Radio Romania reports.

Currently, approximately 760,000 employees benefit from the minimum gross wage guaranteed upon payment, government spokesman Mihai Constantin said. More than 1.8 million employees will benefit, i.e. all employees who are in the salary range of 3300 to 3700 lei.

Prime Minister Marcel Cholaku specified at the beginning of the cabinet meeting that with the increase of the minimum wage an important step is taken to approach the level required by the European directive in the field.

The head of the Romanian government wanted to emphasize that the Ministry of Labor and social partners are already working on the mechanism that will introduce the European minimum wage in Romania by November.

The formula will take into account purchasing power, income level, average gross salary and labor productivity, the prime minister explained.

06.06.2024

HOW TO KNOW IF YOU ARE SABOTAGING YOUR SUCCESS FROM HIGHER COMMITMENT

You like each other and there's a reason. You are a seasoned professional and your successes prove it. You are a decent person and the excellent relations with colleagues prove it. Your high self-esteem is justified and you don't think it's arrogant to feel it at all.

It's great that you think that way about yourself. Lack of self-confidence is one shortcut to failure. The other, however, is hubris. There is a very fine line that you should not cross in order for your self-esteem to be healthy.

An intelligent and educated person does not look down on anyone because he knows that this behavior is socially unacceptable. From an early age, he was taught that he should not show superiority, even if he really is something more than others - smarter, stronger, richer, more beautiful, etc. But arrogance in thought is not unacceptable.

Everyone is free to value their own self the most, especially if they have reasons. Self-love is an irrevocable part of the so-called Self-concept. Disliking yourself is more of a pathology.

However, when you like yourself too much, the feeling causes you to make mistakes that hinder your own development. Psychologists say that you should not even be arrogant with yourself, because you will miss out on receiving benefits from others.

It's not about gross benefits, although there is that too - a haughty person is not likable. When you want to convince someone to be on your side, it's much easier if you flatter them instead of showing them that you think you're more than them.

It is about at least five intellectual benefits that the haughty person deprives himself of.

  1. You compare yourself to the wrong person. You have achieved a lot and there is much to be happy about. But you haven't achieved everything.

It is very unpleasant to compare yourself to people who are superior to you. The thought that there are more successful, richer, more talented than you can have a bad effect on self-esteem.

But if you get caught up in hubris and compare yourself only to those below you in the hierarchy at work or simply performing worse, you become complacent and demotivated. Yes, you feel good in your thoughts. However, you have no incentive to improve yourself and aspire for more. You've probably heard the saying that if you're the smartest person in the company, you're not in the right company.

So leave the arrogance and compare yourself to people who are superior to you, at least for now. Otherwise, you will sink into complacency, and soon many others will have the right to look down on you.

  1. You're doing nasty self-promotion. There is no argument, and self-promotion is necessary to get noticed. A foresight person does not wait modestly only for others to appreciate him, but cleverly uses convenient occasions to build an image of a capable professional, to emphasize his qualities, capabilities and achievements.

However, arrogance leads to arrogant self-promotion, which makes a negative impression. Because one thinks of oneself as something more, one cannot help but compare one's self with others in order to make one's self stand out. It even seems to him that he looks even better when he emphasizes that he achieved greater results than a successful colleague, not an incompetent or a loser.

No exaggeration, it's all true, it can be proven with numbers. However, you run the risk of being seen as an arrogant braggart and damaging your image.

The key to effective self-promotion lies in not comparing yourself to others, experts say. Highlighting one's own successes is best received when it does not demonstrate a sense of superiority over someone else's success, advises psychologist Carolyn Van Dam. Focus only and only on your peak results. Say you hit record sales this quarter that you haven't had in your professional career. Don't emphasize that they are bigger than Ivanova and Petrov.

This way you both highlight your accomplishments and create a situation where your boss is more likely to praise you than if there is an element of discredit to other colleagues in your self-promotion.

But to direct attention to your progress without trampling on the successes of others, you must not be arrogant even in your thoughts.

  1. You miss out on added value from criticism. Most people generally hate saying unpleasant things face to face, unless they are from the so-called. haters. They avoid criticism in order not to get into a conflict situation, because they know from experience that no one likes to hear disagreement or bad evaluation. They break this rule only when their own interests are affected.

Outside of striving for politeness, people usually intuit when someone is being arrogant. Then they don't even try to tell him an unpleasant truth, even though it would benefit him. And so it is - selfish people who think of themselves as something more than others rarely accept that they can learn something from them. Even if they assume that the colleague has the best intentions, their mind goes "Huh, he's going to tell me".

When you treat others with arrogance, you deprive yourself of the opportunity to hear an objective opinion. This can give you the illusion that you are doing great and a false sense of security. At some point you will probably realize - you missed hearing that you have a problem and how to deal with it, but it will be too late.

A far more practical approach is to temper your arrogance and encourage criticism that will benefit you. Even if you don't think very highly of your boss in your mind, he will appreciate it if you ask, "Is there something specific about my performance that I need to spend more time on." This makes you look like someone who is looking for constructive feedback because they want to improve.

  1. You are ashamed of help. When you have healthy self-esteem, in a stressful moment you are not ashamed to admit that you need help. And for the high-minded, several deterrents are triggered. Basically, they are cocky and think they can handle it on their own. At the same time, they tell themselves that others cannot be useful to them because they are less capable. And it seems to them that it is somehow beneath their dignity to admit that they are not perfect.

If arrogance does not cloud the mind, no one thinks of himself as a superman, psychologists point out.

  1. You underestimate people. Puffers often underestimate others because they judge them by their own thoughts. For example, it seems to them that it is natural for a high-ranking manager to display some arrogance. If it doesn't pretend to be important, it's not really important.

But important people with healthy self-esteem don't need ostentation. They may even use trickery - behaving immediately in order to gain sympathy and more easily achieve their goals, or consciously want to be underestimated.

Arrogance can play a very bad joke on you when it prevents you from correctly assessing your colleagues, partners or competitors, experts warn. It will be of greater benefit to you not to underestimate them, but even slightly to overestimate them.

------- The most insidious enemies --------

There are different rankings of which feelings are the most insidious career enemies, but usually hubris enters their forehead. Among the other undisputed in the top 3 are impatience and greed.

It may seem strange to you that laziness is not among them. Even the most stupid person guesses that if he doesn't work hard enough, he will fail at some point. Or that I shouldn't let myself get angry because he's a very bad counselor in any situation.

Insidious feelings are those that, at first reading, do not seem very dangerous. For example, what is wrong with impatience? It is even good that a person does not want to wait, but strives for higher results. But the bad thing about good things is that they don't happen quickly, but with persistence and persistence.

Greed and ambition to make more money are also two different things. Sometimes it makes more sense to take a step back in income if it will lead to an increase in the future. However, the greedy can rarely be far-sighted in this regard. So this is also an insidious feeling that can mess up your career.

05.06.2024

PROVIDE SAFETY AT A DISTANCE WORK

The employer is obliged to provide healthy and safe working conditions so that the dangers of the life and health of the employee are eliminated, limited or reduced. The bodies of the executive branch within the framework of their powers exercise the state policy on ensuring health and safety at work.

Ensuring healthy and safe working conditions when working from a distance is one of the issues that are difficult to find the right texts that satisfy employers and at the same time be in the interest of the workers.

The legislation provides for the establishment of an obligation of the employee to provide a workplace for performing work from a distance to the date of the occurrence or change of the employment relationship that allows it to be carried out without a risk to health and safety.

The premises outside the workplace in the workplace must have a sufficient area and conditions that allow the worker to perform a distance work without risk to health and safety. Given the voluntary nature of the work from a distance, it is guaranteed the possibility that the employee can assess whether he or she can provide the appropriate room from which to perform the agreed work.

It is explicitly regulated the requirement for the room to have the necessary characteristics, including sufficient area to place the necessary working equipment so that the work performed does not endanger the life and health of the worker, which in practice becomes one of the mandatory conditions for carrying out work from a distance.

It is also envisaged to regulate the obligation of the employee who performs a distance work to provide the employer with written information on the characteristics of the workplace provided by him for performing a distance work.

On the basis of the information received, the employer will be able to assess the characteristics of the employee provided by the employee and the ability to carry out the work in connection with the rules and the regulatory requirements for safety and health at work.

In this way, the employer will be able to fulfill his obligation to guarantee at the date of the emergence or modification of the employment relationship jobs to perform a distance work that meet the minimum requirements for health and safe working conditions set out in the Law on Health and Safe working conditions and in the regulatory acts for its implementation.

It is also regulated the requirement to arrange the order and manner in advance the employee to notify the employer, the immediate manager or other authorized person of any accident at the workplace. The aim is to provide the employer an opportunity to fulfill his or her normative obligations in case of an accident, as well as to guarantee the rights of the employee as a result of an accident.

30.05.2024

FIRST LAW AGAINST WORK STRESS - ELIMINATE EXTRA

In general, you are overwhelmed with tasks, you constantly worry about whether you will be able to complete them on time and with quality.

It is clear to you that there is no point in talking to the boss. He cannot cancel or postpone anything, because everything is urgent. And you can't assign colleagues to help you, because everyone is overloaded. If you're going to complain, you'll only come off as someone who doesn't properly appreciate the tense moment. You may not even meet sympathy, but anger - he and the boss are under stress, he is responsible for everything, isn't he?

Help yourself by taking half an hour to think about whether you have properly organized your own work. You may notice a common mistake - that you have not removed the excess.

In every task there are details that can easily be done without. Sometimes you don't see them because you've entered a routine, you're used to acting like that and you can't get out of the mold. But now it is required to prevent the danger of failure.

When you have enough experience, know the work well and set a goal, you can see what to remove. The result will be the same, but you will achieve it faster and with less effort. It's called efficiency.

Also, consider whether you are a perfectionist. In many cases, this is exactly why employees feel overworked. It's just that the boss who assigned the tasks did not expect that you would try so hard to complete them.

If you are a conscientious person, it is very likely that you have taken on your shoulders and those parts of the work on the particular project that should be done by other colleagues. Not as a help to you, but as my official duties.

In management, there is such a concept - delegation. It is not only for superiors who must give rights and responsibilities to their subordinates. Each person who has to work in a team must recognize what he can do alone and what a colleague must do.

If, for example, you need a financial report for the performance of the task, there is no point in doing it yourself, digging through hundreds of reports. The accounting department can do it for you much faster and qualitatively.

The colleague will probably sulk that she has to deal with this now. But you be categorical that this is part of her official duties. Give her enough time, of course. But don't burden yourself, it's not that you can do the research. You can also clean the office, but you don't, right, that's what a hygienist is for. Although the comparison is harsh, think of it this way - everyone has to do their part of the tasks, otherwise the whole thing will go into a loop.

Even if you are convinced that you will do a job better, which is generally the duty of another colleague, do not take it upon yourself. It is not meant for you as a time and resource. By taking it, it is your own fault. There is nothing to complain about overloading.

There may be another reason for your stress - you allow colleagues to waste your time. It often happens from too much good manners and politeness. Bilyana from the neighboring department calls you on a work matter, but because she is angry with her boss, she complains to you for 5 minutes. Ivan needs help and is hanging over your head to advise him on how to cope.

You must learn to politely but firmly turn such people away. If Bilyana is your friend and is not crying hysterically because of a scandal with her boss, postpone her complaints, offer to meet during the lunch break so that she can tell you what happened. Help Ivan, if it will be done quickly. If he has a habit of abusing you and making you do his work, refuse him directly.

It is imperative to weed out those toxic personalities that exist in every office - grumblers, gossipers, braggarts, under-committed employees looking for company. In addition to wasting your valuable minutes, they probably stress you out with their pessimism, meanness or self-indulgence.

Although they are people, feel free to put them in the "redundant" column and cross them out. If you let them keep you busy, you will have to stay after hours every day to do your own work commitments.

Focus on what's important to reduce stress. Otherwise, you run the risk of making a mistake because of it, no matter how hard you try.

29.05.2024

HOW TO PROTECT OURSELVES IN CASE OF UNLAWFUL RELEASE FROM WORK

No worker is insured by an incorrect employer. In the world of employment, subordinates are the more vulnerable country. There are no cases where the boss decides to release his subordinate without reason and even without notice. In some cases, the employer does not even serve an order for termination of employment and does not return the employment record.

Fortunately, workers are becoming more and more aware of their rights and prove to employers that uncontrolled power harms themselves and their business. The legislation provides for a number of rules and rules that protect employees from unfounded and sudden dismissals.

If this happens to you, know that you have the opportunity to refer to the Labor Inspectorate and/or the Court to protect your legally guaranteed rights. The complaints of the Labor Inspectorate are intended to control and sanctioned the employer. The actions carried out through the court are aimed at protecting and realizing the rights of employees themselves, injured by unlawful actions of employers.

Grounds for termination of employment

The employer has the right to terminate the employee's legal relationship only on legally established grounds and in accordance with certain procedures. The reason for dismissing a specific subordinate, which is regulated by law, must be in accordance with the factual circumstances.

The termination of an employment relationship is by an order of the employer, which is in accordance with all the requirements of the law. The order should be issued by a competent authority and in the form prescribed by law. Otherwise, the dismissal is considered insignificant.

The relationship itself shall be terminated from the moment the order is served on the employee. If he does not want to receive it, this circumstance is certified by the signatures of witnesses. Without the order, the legal relationship continues to exist and if the employer does not allow the subordinates to the job, he should pay him compensation on the grounds of Art. 213, para. 1 of the Labor Code.

When a notice is provided for the specific type of termination of a legal relationship, it must be respected. The employer has the right to terminate the legal relationship before the expiration of the notice, but is obliged to pay compensation for the not complied with the notice period.

For some categories of employees (employment, mothers with children, persons on leave, etc.), enhanced protection for dismissal, regulated in Art. 333 of the Labor Code. In these cases, in order to carry out the dismissal, a preliminary permission of the Labor Inspectorate is required. Some subordinates categories require the prior consent of a trade union body. Ie Prior to the issuance of the order, the employer must verify that the worker/employee concerned is not a person who enjoys such protection.

When the dismissal is disciplinary, the employee must be requested written explanations before the issuance of the dismissal order. If the termination of the contract is due to the redundancy of the state, the employer is obliged to make selection (Article 329 of the Labor Code) among all workers holding the same or similar position and then to issue an order for termination.

The employer may not force the employee to terminate the legal relationship on his initiative. He may propose the termination of the contract, paying four gross wages, but the termination is set depending on the consent of the worker (Article 331 of the Labor Code). In this option, the termination is at the initiative of the employer, but it is not unilateral. In addition, if the agreed compensation is not paid within one month after the termination of the contract, the grounds for termination are automatically eliminated.

Challenge

You have a legal right to challenge the dismissal to the employer himself in writing. He can cancel himself the dismissal until a claim in court - then the issue is necessarily resolved by the court. But in the judicial phase, the employer may recognize the claim and the proceedings to complete. However, challenging the dismissal to the employer is rarely applied in practice, since it is a relatively ineffective way to the court order.

In case of unlawful termination of the legal relationship, the employee has the right to request the court to be recognized as illegal and to be overturned. The challenge of any unlawful dismissal is by filing a claim against the employer in the district court at its registered office/address.

The claim can also be brought in the place where the worker/employee is usually working. The application should be filed within two months of service of the dismissal order (Article 358 of the Labor Code). It should be borne in mind that this period is limitation - ie. The court does not ex officio monitor whether the term is respected, but will only be activated if there is an objection from the other party.

The law has provided four claims for the protection of the employee in case of unlawful dismissal, regardless of the reason for the dismissal. They are regulated in Art. 344, para. 1 of the Labor Code. These claims may be joined and if claimed and aims to achieve the result on each of them, the relevant claim explicitly brought in the application. The goals of the claims are:

- recognition of the dismissal as illegal and its cancellation;

- restoration of previous work;

- compensation for the time during which the person is out of work due to dismissal;

- Amendment to the ground of dismissal entered in the employment record or in other documents.

Report to Labor Inspectorate

To protect your rights, you must report to the Labor Inspectorate. It is also good to present a copy of your employment contract. The alert should contain your name and address, the nature of the signal, date and signature. Electronically, the alerts are equated to written ones. If you have an electronic signature, you can send your signal via an electronic form.

A check shall be carried out within 15 days and a letter of response is sent. During these 15 days, if you know the address of the company's headquarters, you can send a registered letter with a return receipt, in which you will request all the documents related to your employment relationship and explicitly indicate that you want to receive them by mail.

If you have not received anything after the 15-day period, you should contact a lawyer to whom to submit a copy of the complaint to the Labor Inspectorate and a copy of your letter to the employer. In this way you will be able to file a case of incorrectness to the employer and request everything due to you to be paid, including compensation under Art. 224 of the Labor Code for unused paid annual leave and salaries due plus court and lawyer's expenses.

Labor cases against an employer are free of charge for the plaintiffs (employees) - they are exempt from the payment of state fees. This payment was transferred to the employer if it is indeed established that the dispute that was filed by the plaintiff was triggered by the employer. Or the employer has issued an unlawful order under which the labor case was instituted.

When further expertise is required regarding the conduct of the cases, the employees are exempted from these fees. But only if the claim is upheld by the court. The plaintiff only pays the lawyer's fee, and during the case he has the right to ask him to be reinstated.

Labor cases are rapid proceedings, that is, the court is obliged to order its decision within a specified time. Usually the term is one -month, but it can be extended if there are changes in circumstances. If the plaintiff dies in the process, the production may be continued by the heirs.

Do not leave “by mutual consent”

The employer may try to force you to sign an order to terminate the employment relationship by mutual agreement - do not agree! This will lose the right of your benefits. Instead of signature, write, "I disagree."

In the event that you are offered to leave under Art. 325, para. 1 of the Labor Code (by mutual agreement), you have the right to refuse. If the employer threatens you with disciplinary dismissal, consult a lawyer as it is very likely that there will be not enough grounds or they will be dropped to court. Do not manipulate yourself and fight for your rights.

If you withstand these "attacks", the employer may try to release you under Art. 331 of the Labor Code, which guarantees you at least four gross salaries as compensation. You may require more - there is no limit. The termination on the grounds of Art. 331 of the Labor Code remains a preferred release from the employer and the worker. Here's what you need to know about it:

- Art. 331. (1) The employer may offer at his own initiative to the employee/employee termination of the employment contract against compensation. If the subordinate does not rule in writing on the proposal within 7 days, it is considered that it is not accepted;

- (2) If the employee/the employee accepts the proposal under para. 1, the employer owes him a compensation of not less than the four-fold amount of the last monthly gross wage, unless the parties have agreed to a larger amount of compensation;

- (3) If the compensation under para. 2 is not paid within one month from the date of termination of the employment contract, the grounds for termination shall be considered to be dropped.

Counter harassment at work

There are no cases where an employer tries to get his employee to leave through indirect psychological pressure, such as conducted poor treatment by a manager or colleague. In this situation, it is important to maintain your composure and act wisely.

In the event that someone submits false information about your work, they should serve you a report or punishment if there is a violation. In this situation, you must answer in writing and be sure to enter the answer. It is important to keep all the evidence (such as email correspondence) that are in your favor.

If you are a victim of mental harassment, file a complaint about mental harassment at the workplace to the employer with an incoming number. Describe in detail which person is exercising and what this harassment is expressed and ask for assistance in his termination. This complaint will also serve you as evidence if you may be dismissed or missed.

Given that you come to court and the court decision is to return you to work, you are probably worried about a bad attitude on the part of the employer. At this point, many people succumb to pressure and forcibly "agree" to leave. You have the right to take the case to the court again and to prove the bad attitude through witnesses.

In any case, if it comes to release or even simply a warning, consult a labor law lawyer. Consultation costs are nothing compared to the potential losses you may suffer.

Read carefully everything you give you to sign, and if you are actually terminated your employment contract, you already know that you have the opportunity to protect your rights by court order and request the employer to return you to work and pay you the compensation.

Right to compensation in unemployment

Upon termination of the employment relationship, the employer is obliged to hand you within three days the documents stamped and listed in order not to lose your right to register within 7 days at the Labor Office.

The persons for whom social security contributions have been paid or due to the Unemployment Fund for at least 12 months in the last 18 months before termination of insurance are entitled to the right to unemployment benefits.

The first step in receiving unemployment benefits is to register within seven working days of interruption at the Employment Agency. This is done in the District Directorates of the Labor Office according to your permanent or current address. Then, within 3 months, you must submit an application for granting unemployment benefit to the territorial division of the National Social Security Institute.

The daily unemployment benefit is 60% of the average social security income for which contributions have been paid in the last 24 months before the termination of insurance. If you have worked in Bulgaria and in another EU Member State, only the periods of unemployment and income through them in Bulgaria are taken into account when calculating the compensation. The compensation may not be less than the minimum amount determined in the state budget for each calendar year.

28.05.2024

A TEN-YEAR FORECAST FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LABOR MARKET WILL BE PREPARED ACCORDING TO A PROJECT OF THE MLSP

Updated forecasts for the development of the labor market according to an advanced methodology, which will represent the demand for labor in a ten-year period, will be prepared under the project of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy "Addressing the challenges of the labor market" BG05SFPR002-1.015 - 0001. The forecasts will provide information on labor market challenges, expected labor demand and expected labor market imbalances. A nationally representative survey will also be conducted among employers in the country to determine the emerging and disappearing professions and jobs, as well as the search for new skills related to the digital and ecological transition. The complementary information on expected labor market changes from the forecasts and the survey will support action to improve the targeting of education, training and employment policies.

Estimates of the net effect of the ongoing active labor market policy, financed with funds from the state budget, are also planned to be prepared under the project, which is financed under the "Human Resources Development" Program 2021 - 2027, co-financed by the European Union. The results of the assessments will support the process of planning and implementing the active labor market policy and directing resources to highly effective measures and programs.

The project also includes conducting a study to identify and map the available skills and attitudes for development of those working in thermal power plants and coal mines affected by the low-carbon transition in the regions of Stara Zagora, Kyustendil and Pernik. The information collected will serve employers to develop, plan and provide appropriate measures for career support and upskilling and retraining and development of workforce skills.

Partners of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy on the project, which has a budget of BGN 3.7 million, are the National Statistical Institute, the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria, the Confederation of Labor "Podkrepa" and the Employment Agency. The main goal of the activities carried out under it is to increase the effectiveness and purposefulness of the active labor market policy, as well as to improve the information provision of the decision-making process in the field of the labor market.

27.05.2024

WHAT TO DO WITH THE UNEMPLOYED

Among the more interesting news was the new estimate by the Employment Agency of the total number of inactive people of working age – over 1 million people. Although a full analysis of inactivity and its characteristics by the Employment Agency is not yet available, we can highlight several directions for reforms that could help with the activation of this large group, which seems increasingly important against the background of low unemployment and the increasingly difficult finding of personnel, the economists from the Institute for Market Economy point out.

The data of the National Statistical Institute allow a relatively detailed view of people outside the labor force. Among them - a total of 1.05 million people between the ages of 15 and 64 - more than half have a secondary education, and of them - 200 thousand people have a professional, which means that they have at least the necessary base and sufficient literacy to be trained in skills relevant to the needs of the labor market. However, with another almost 450 thousand people, the education is basic and lower, which means that their activation also implies an element of additional education. The serious preponderance of women – 594 thousand people – is striking, which reflects their role in the family, raising children and household work. From the point of view of urbanization, the large number of inactive people - 713 thousand - are in the cities, where almost all new and vacant jobs are concentrated, the analysis says.

According to the Institute for Market Economy, the bad news is that among those over 1 million people, 928 thousand are unwilling to work. The main reason for this is participation in some form of education, with 423 thousand people in this category. To the extent that those currently inactive will enter the labor market in the near future, with higher or at least secondary education, special measures and approaches to them are probably not necessary. Illness or incapacity hinders 140 thousand people, and this is the group for whom the Bulgarian labor market remains extremely difficult to access. Family work and personal reasons deter 235 thousand people, more than 2/3 of them are expected to be women.

The characteristics described in this way clearly demonstrate that a unified approach to the inactive is impossible, and that activation seems almost impossible for some of them - such are, say, housewives in high-income households. However, this does not mean that there are no measures that could at least to some extent reduce inactivity and direct additional human resources to the labor market. First of all, the inactive must be found and identified, and in this direction is the register of the inactive, which contains their characteristics, peculiarities and individual needs, proposed by the Employment Agency, according to the economists.

According to them, finding involves an active approach – while the unemployed direct themselves to the employment offices, the inactive need a nudge towards additional qualifications or a job search. This will require additional effort both on the part of the employers who fail to find the workers they are looking for, and on the part of the state – for mediators, information campaigns, training. For this reason, it is appropriate to think both about transferring the focus of active labor market policies from creating subsidized employment to career guidance and training, as well as about incentives for employers willing to train workers and inactive ones.

Increasing the flexibility of the labor market is of key importance - as we have seen, a significant part of the inactive are housewives and people with disabilities. These groups can benefit most from the creation of more part-time and telecommuting opportunities that allow them to combine employment with their other life roles. For now, Bulgaria remains at the bottom of the EU in terms of advocating these work models. Working fewer hours could also lead to the activation of part of the students and pupils, who form almost half of the inactive today. As an encouraging change, we can accept the increase in the number of employment permits for persons up to the age of 18, issued by the General Labor Inspectorate in recent years.

The regional approach to activation is no less important - the profile of the inactive in different parts of the country differs, and it is possible that the employment they desire can be found elsewhere. We cannot fail to mention the failed integration of the Roma, who make up a significant part of the inactive, and face one of the most serious obstacles to finding a job in the light economy.

Finally, it is not impossible for some of today's inactives to enter the labor market without outside help. This would be a logical result of the growth of wages and the improvement of the standard of living of the workers, in the course of convergence with the average European level of economic development. The creation of more well-paid jobs is among the factors that can "by itself" generate more supply of labor for which the "right" price has not yet been reached, concluded the Institute for Market Economy.