Sat, Feb 11 2012

Employers rush for state aid

Tue, Mar 24 2009 09:47 CET 1228 Views
Employers rush for state aid

Photo: Ivan Grigorov

The Social and Labour Policy Ministry's plan to aid employers who put workers on half-day shifts was proving very popular, Bulgarian-language Dnevnik daily said on March 24 2009.

The plan envisages that employers would receive assistance from the state for every worker asked to work part-time. The idea is that instead of cutting jobs employers would reduce the working time of their staff.

Every worker asked to work a half day - on half pay -  would get 120 leva from the state for three months. For this to happen, employers must have at least five per cent of their staff working on half-day shift.

The money envisaged in the plan for the next three months is aimed at covering salaries for 19 000 employees working on half-day shifts. The deadline for accepting applications ended on March 18 2009. Data showed that 322 companies applied for the relief that will go to 18 086 workers.

In the next few days companies will be checked to see if they meet the criteria for receiving the relief. The Ministry has a budget of about seven million leva at its disposal for the purpose.

Most companies who filed applications were from Pleven, Gabrovo, Veliko Turnovo and Lovech. The least interest came from companies based in Varna, Dobrish and Shoumen.

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