By Krasi Petrova BBC News, Sofia

A majority of adult Bulgarians are smokers

A ban on smoking in public buildings introduced on 1 January has come as a culture shock for many Bulgarians.

In a country where cigarettes have been widely embraced as a vital ingredient of cool, a staggering 55% of the population smokes.

Everywhere you go the air is thick with smoke.

The ban did what non-smokers thought was long overdue - it freshened the air and drove smokers out of their natural habitat - offices and restaurants.

But it did not stop there. Encouraged by the spirit of change, the national cable television company SKAT decided to wage its own war on smoking.

The owner, Valery Simeonov, offered to increase the salaries of non-smokers by a generous 50 leva (�17; $32) a month, while cutting smokers' pay by 10 leva (�3; $5.8) a month.

"Some people spend 10 minutes an hour smoking, that makes more than an hour a day away from the work place. It's bad for productivity. I know that this looks like discrimination against smokers, but actually it's very fair, because people who don't smoke are more efficient," he says.

Rewards

One of the employees affected by the initiative is reporter Katya Nikolova. She insists she did not smoke a lot - only between 10 and 20 cigarettes a day.

She was outraged when she first heard her boss's idea. She felt discriminated against and considered signing a joint declaration against it.

No matter how you look at it, she says, it is a violation of the bonus system. But after two days of serious soul-searching, she and her colleagues decided if you can't beat them, join them. So they gave up smoking.

After all, it's good for my health Katya Nikolova, smoker

"Fifty leva is a big motivation. When you think that the minimum monthly salary is 150, then 50 leva is a lot of money.

"I bought an air conditioning system for my home and I am going to pay it off every month with that money. And after all, it's good for my health," Katya says.

There is one condition: if you are caught smoking secretly, you have to pay back all the money received.

Not everyone is seduced by the offer.

Gergana Tsoneva, another employee of SKAT, only smokes about five cigarettes a day. But she has decided to remain a smoker and has already paid her monthly "fine" of 10 leva twice.

"I am old-fashioned. I would only take a bonus for a job well done. I only smoke while drinking coffee, but nevertheless I don't want to give that up. Why should I?"

Who is the victim?

SKAT is not alone in its efforts to fight smoking.

I live with the firm belief that I am doing something extremely good to these people: I give them a big incentive to give up Valery Simeonov, SKAT TV owner

A local meat production company has come up with a similar solution: smokers who decide to kick the habit get two days' extra annual leave.

The new law bans smoking in all public buildings. Bars and restaurants can set up special smoking areas, but they must be properly ventilated.

The required ventilation systems are expensive and some small bar owners are struggling to meet the cost.

The ban was immediately followed by protests. Bar owners have demanded a six-month period before it comes into force.

Until then, the only difference between smoking and non-smoking areas in bars and restaurants is the big signs placed on each table, creating a fictitious and rather comical division.

Mr Simeonov believes the objections are misplaced. He says if anyone qualifies for victimhood, it is the non-smokers, who until recently had no place to go.

He believes restrictions and measures like the one he introduced could be the turning-point towards a positive change in the culture of heavy smoking.