Sofia Municipal Council Adopts Program to Increase Public Transport Drivers' Wages by 10% for each of next Three Years

The Sofia Municipal Council has adopted a three-year programme to increase the wages of public transport drivers by 10% annually, Focus News Agency reports. This has been agreed by Mayor Yordanka Fandakova, the trade unions and the directors of all Sofia public transport companies. The programme will start running in 2020. Thus, by 2023, drivers' wages will increase by 30%, the next increase is expected to be on 1 March next year.
The wages of Sofia city drivers were increased twice in 2019, in February and April. With the change the basic salary in the sector became 1,150 BGN, and the average gross salary became BGN 1,800. There is also a BGN 100 bonus for a job well done. The aim of the measures is to ease the working conditions and reduce overtime. Changes in pay have been demanded by drivers, who alerted Sofia Municipality about their difficult work conditions and the overtime they need to work because of staff shortage.