Dimitar Atanasov, trade union representative at Bulgarian state-owned military plant VMZ Sopot, has said that workers plan to stage a protest to demand pay rises and streamlined operations.

Atanasov told the Bulgarian National Radio Monday that the Economy Minister was not to blame for the current state of affairs at the plant, adding that he had been misled by Yulian Naskov, outgoing member of the Board of Directors of VMZ Sopot.

He rejected allegations that the Podkrepa Labor Cnofederation was seeking to gain control of the plant, to pursue corporate interests, or to reinstate former CEO Ivan Stoenchev.

As regards the restart of operations at the Iganovo site of the plant after the explosion, he underscored that the Board of Directors of the company had not contributed to that, while the ones who had made it possible had been Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov, and the director of the Karlovo police department, Hristo Bahlov.