BULGARIA Law and Practice Contributed by: Diana Milkova and Victoria Penkova, Penkova & Partners Law Firm
Unpaid Leave An employee may request unpaid leave from the employer, regardless of whether they have used their paid annual leave or the length of their service. Unpaid leave of up to 30 working days is counted as part of the employee’s length of employment service. Leave of Absence The employer is required to grant leave of absence in the following cases: • marriage – two working days; • blood donation – the day of the examination and donation, plus one additional day; • death of close relatives – two working days for the death of a parent, child, spouse, sibling, parent-in- law, or other lineal relatives; • summoned for legal matters – time off to attend court as a party to a case, witness, or expert; • state or European representation – leave for par - ticipation in representative state bodies, special negotiating bodies, work councils, or European organisations, as well as for jury service; • termination notice given by the employer – one hour per day during the notice period; and • training and disaster protection volunteering – time off for training or participation in voluntary disaster • Study leave – leave can be granted for 25 work - ing days for each school year if the consent of the employer is granted. In addition, the employee is entitled to 20 working days or, if the employer has not granted consent, ten working days, of unpaid leave per school year for preparing for and taking exams. • Students are entitled to a one-time paid leave of 30 working days for the preparation and taking of a matriculation or state exam, including the prepa - ration and defence of a thesis, diploma project or dissertation. In addition, the employee is entitled to four months of unpaid leave or, if the employer has not granted their consent, two months of unpaid leave. • Leave for entrance exams – employees are entitled to six working days for applying to a secondary school or 12 working days for applying to a higher protection formations. Other Types of Leave
• monthly base salary, determined in the individual employment contract; • additional remuneration for length of service (no less than 0.6% of the monthly base salary per each year of service in relevant positions); • other additional remuneration per the Labour Law (for overtime, night work, etc); and • other additional remuneration of a permanent or temporary nature, stated in the individual employ - ment contract or in the internal rules of the employ - er (including additional remuneration determined at the employer’s discretion, bonuses for achieving performance or revenue targets, profit-sharing, a 13th salary, and any social benefits, etc). 1.5 Other Employment Terms Paid Annual Leave Every employee is entitled to a minimum of 20 work - ing days of paid annual leave. Employees in certain categories, such as those with open-ended working hours or those working in hazardous conditions that pose risks to their health and safety, are entitled to additional paid leave, usually five working days or more. Paid annual leave must be taken after obtaining written authorisation from the employer. It is not permissible to compensate paid annual leave with cash, except when the employment relationship is terminated. Sick Leave Employees are entitled to sick leave in cases of illness, occupational disease, workplace injury, or other situ - ations specified in the Labour Code. The employee must submit a medical certificate for sick leave within two business days from the date of issuance. The payment for sick leave is based on the duration of the illness. For the first two days of sick leave, the employer pays 70% of the employee’s average gross daily remuneration. For the remaining sick leave days, the National Social Security Institute (NSSI) pays 80% of the employee’s average gross daily remuneration, or 90% in the case of a workplace accident or occu - pational illness.
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