Civil servants from the two main trade unions, Podkrepa and the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria (CITUB), protested in front of the government building where the last regular meeting of the Council of Ministers is taking place. 

The Cabinet is expected to approve the allocation of BGN 268 million (EUR 137 million) to increase salaries in various government bodies in order to reduce wage inequalities. Representatives of government agencies and many other public services are taking part in the rally. 

The discontent stems from changes made to the original version of the document, which reduced the amounts allocated.  

At the beginning of the meeting, Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov said that the government would approve measures to narrow the pay gap in the administration. The ratio of 1 to 5 between the maximum and minimum salaries in the administration would be reduced to 1 to 2.5, Denkov said.