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
Negotiations on bringing an end to the workers strike at the troubled State-owned Railway Company BDZ Holding are continuing Monday as the strike entered its 12th day.
The BDZ labor unions now say they will negotiate only in the presence of Transport Minister, Ivaylo Moskovski, after bringing to a standstill on Sunday those with the BDZ management. They say they do not trust the latter over a number of things such as them not having any idea about railways transportation.
The syndicates further accuse the BDZ management of lying to them.
"We agreed to sign the class labor contract with the 2009 parameters, and we were under the impression that the only remaining issue was how to protect those who will be laid off. In addition, the BDZ management earlier proposed a bonus system for workers, and we agreed with it. But when we negotiated the class labor contract, they threw at us amendments in 48 articles as a complete surprise – they would have led to a 35%-37% reduction of salaries, which we rejected," Sasho Aleksov, an union leader is quoted saying.
Transport Minister, Ivaylo Moskovski, noted the bonus system will guarantee that those with better job performance will get more money, stressing once again that only unpopular measures will rescue the company. Moskovski said he will attend the negotiations, but pointed out he stood firm behind the BDZ management.
Passenger and freight trains will be halted between 8 am and 4 pm Monday.
The strike was announced as termless. The labor unions are adamant the strike will continue until an agreement is reached with the BDZ management. They demand the signing of a class labor contract under the same parameters as before the announced start of the reform.
The syndicates blame 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. They are appealing to more workers to join the strike.
Last Monday, BDZ Freight Transport and BDZ Passenger Transport filed a Court claim to declare the strike illegal. On Sunday, the Sofia City Court announced that the trial in the civil case filed by the management has been launched.
The management of the company and Transport Minister, Ivaylo Moskovski, promised that no one will be fired for taking part in the strike, even though they deem the action illegal.
The labor unions vowed to stage an effective, mass, termless strike after the recent notice 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 (later scaled down to 138) 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.
The strike began on November 24.
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