Bulgaria Update: A recap of the latest Labour Code amendments in force as of 1 August 2022

Some amendments to the Labour Code came into force on 1 August. We summarize the most important of them.

• New probationary period, is introduced for employees hired for less than one year. The probationary period in these cases is 1 month, as opposed to the regular probationary period of 6 months.‍
• Additional work – an employer may restrict an employee from working for another employer only if the employee’s contract of employment contains a prohibition on grounds of the protection of commercial confidentiality and/or the prevention of conflicts of interest. Thus, from now on general prohibitions on working for another employer will not be consistent with the law.
• The employee has the right to propose in writing to the employer a change in the employment contract (e.g. from a fixed-term contract to an open-ended contract, and from a part-time contract to a full-time contract). If the employer refuses, must, within one month, provide a motivated written reply setting out the reasons for his decision.
• With regard to the right of employees to propose amendments to the employment contract, a special right is introduced for employees who have to care for a sick relative. They now could propose relaxations to their working arrangements in order to reconcile family and professional obligations.‍
• Parental leave of 2 (two) months for raising a child up to the age of 8 (eight) years is introduced for the father/adopter, on condition that he has not taken the other child-related leave provided for in the Labour Code.‍ 
• When introducing a new employee to the company, the employer must, among other things, acquaint them with:

1.the terms and conditions for termination of the employment contract;

2.information on training provided by the employer;

3.the internal wage regulations.

By Dimitrov, Petrov & Co., Bulgaria, a Transatlantic Law International Affiliated Firm.  

For further information or for any assistance please contact bulgaria@transatlanticlaw.com

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