Bulgaria's Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Simeon Djankov, had issued an ultimatum to the concessionaire of Gorubso Madan metal mines to pay by Friday all overdue salaries.

The news was reported by the Bulgarian National Radio, BNR, Tuesday. Djankov had told concessionaire Valentin Zahariev that if he fails to obey, all his companies will become subject to a large-scale tax audit. The two held an emergency meeting over the issue.

Zahariev, speaking in an interview for the private TV channel bTV Tuesday morning, promised that all delayed salaries, not only of Madan miners, but of the workers at the non-ferrous mill in the city of Kardzhali, he also operates, will be paid by the end of the week.

The concessionaire did, however, stress that he expected workers, who have staged rallies and strikes in the last two weeks, to resume their job duties immediately after receiving their wages, threatening layoffs if they fail to do so.

The employees say they not only want their money, but demand the State withdraws the concession.

Meanwhile, the miners in Madan decided, after all, to not fulfill their threat to stop their children from attending school classes, because the kids were hungry and thirsty and ashamed to not have any allowance.

10 children have missed classes Monday, while only 5 from a total of 185 were absent from the local high school Tuesday, with the principal saying they were ill or had reasons other than the strike.

The principal further informed that the school cannot allow for the children to become hostages of Zahariev and had provided free meals for several students and is ready to also grant stipends to the most disadvantaged ones.