Hundreds of Workers Face Layoffs in Stara Zagora Region
Two major enterprises announce mass dismissals in the Stara Zagora region
HOT: » Assessing the Legacy of Bulgaria's "Denkov" Cabinet: Achievements, Failures, and What Comes Next
According to official data of the management of the State-owned Railway Company BDZ Holding only 8% of the workers from the railroad system are taking part in the Thursday strike.
From a total of 13 000 employees at the National Company Railroad Infrastructure, only 563 (about 4%) have declared they are going to strike with only 61 of them directly related to the train traffic, the Transport Ministry press center informs.
The number of those on strike at BDZ is estimated at 350 or 2.5% of the personnel.
Transport Minister, Ivaylo Moskovski, told the Bulgarian National Radio, BNR, he believes these low numbers are due to the fact workers were asked by the management to sign against their name if they were going to strike or not, but firmly reiterated no one is going to be fired for taking part in the protests.
A worker at the Rebrovo railroad station is quoted saying that they were not on strike because there wasn't anyone to organize them and voiced disappointment from the syndicates. The Head of the Svoge station had explained that he is an employee of the National Company Railroad Infrastructure and had nothing to do with BDZ because the two companies were artificially separated years ago. He spoke off the record, saying the BDZ strike was organized by 10-20 people and is largely media propaganda. The radio dispatcher at the Central Railroad Station in Sofia told BNR the strike was fake and should not be supported.
The syndicates blamed the management of BDZ and the National Company Railroad Infrastructure in applying "lockout" to the strike and replacing striking workers with others without the needed qualifications.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Railways labor union, Petar Bunev, threatened that the strike will continue Friday and much more workers will take part.
The labor unions vowed to stage a mass strike after the recent announcement of the management of the heavily indebted state-owned railway company BDZ Holding that it intended to lay off 2 000 workers, and reduce the number of trains in operation by 150 by January 2012. In addition, ticket prices along state-subsidized routes will be increased by 9% as of January 1, 2012, and those of "business trains", i.e. the handful of profitable railway routes in Bulgaria – by 15% as December 1, 2011.
Workers and employees at BDZ confirmed Tuesday they are starting an effective strike on November 24.
The strike had already been scheduled for Thursday from 8 am to 4 pm, but the railway labor unions informed at a special press conference that the strike now will be termless – all trains will be halted every day between those hours.
The management of the company and Moskovski, promised that no one will be fired for taking part in the strike, even though they deem the action illegal. They also say the number of canceled trains had been scaled down to 138.
The workers tell media that they are worried about being laid off because they will have a hard time finding another job in the winter season and in the conditions of crisis.
We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!
In order to protect the economic interests of consumers, there will be a period of double labeling of the prices of goods and services - in leva and in euros
As Bulgaria inches closer to joining the Eurozone, concerns arise over the implementation of rounded prices in euros, potentially impacting citizens' wallets upon adoption of the single currency
On a briefing held at the National Press Club of BTA, Nikola Ilchev, the creator and organizer of the Balkan eCommerce Summit, showed projections indicating a significant rise in Bulgaria's e-commerce sector
Svetoslav Stanulov, chairman of the Association of Bulgarian Airlines (ABA), has emphasized the need to assess Sofia Airport's potential as a hub for transit and transfer flights
Pegasus Airlines is set to recommence its scheduled flights between Sofia and Istanbul, marking a significant milestone in air travel connectivity between Bulgaria and Turkey
Bulgaria has witnessed a remarkable surge in home loans at the beginning of the year, with loans for households for the purchase of houses and apartments reaching a record high of BGN 20.52 billion by the end of February
UN Happiness Report: Bulgaria's Astonishing Leap in Rankings
Bulgaria: 3 Regions With Lowest Life Expectancy - EU Report 2022