Bulgarian Steel Workers Rally in Handcuffs

Business » INDUSTRY | April 7, 2009, Tuesday // 11:17
Bulgaria Bulgarian Steel Workers Rally in Handcuffs: Bulgarian Steel Workers Rally in Handcuffs Kremikovtzi's future looks increasingly bleak amidst workers' rallies over pay and the pulling out of investors. Photo by BGNES

Workers from Bulgaria's Kremikovtzi steel mill have kept up unabated their protests on Tuesday, rallying over unpaid salaries and the imminent closure of the indebted plant.

One thousand protestors gathered in front of the economy ministry, many of them in handcuffs and with a plaster over their mouths in a bid to show, as they put it, that they are "slaves" and "people whom nobody wants to hear".

The workers carried puppets, resembling Economy Minister Petar Dimitrov and his deputy Nina Radeva, chanting "Your term is over, but our fight goes on".

Kremikovtzi workers accuse the government of showing no interest in their fate and have pledged to approach the European Commission for help. They have announced plans for more aggressive actions and a nationwide rally of the people working in the sector in a bid to protect the mill.

They insist on governmental help in finding an investor or an alternative scenario in case no investor shows interest.

Meanwhile trade unionists denied claims that Brazilian CSN, the only potential bidder for Bulgaria's insolvent Kremikovtzi steel mill, is no longer interested, but contradictory reports continue to emerge.

At the beginning of last week Bulgaria's Economy Minister Petar Dimitrov set a seven-day deadline for reaching a tolling deal to buy coke from Kremikovtzi with the Brazilian giant. That was the only reason why state gas monopoly Bulgargaz decided not to cut gas supplies to Kremikovtzi over unpaid bills.

The distribution firm warned it would cut off deliveries in a week, closing the smelter's major production units.

Kremikovtzi provides jobs for over 5 000 people and its future is a politically sensitive issue ahead of the general elections in the summer.

 

 

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Tags: rally, CSN, Kremikovtzi

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