Bulgarian Parents NGO Threatens Lawsuit as Teachers' Strike Goes On

Politics | October 19, 2007, Friday // 00:00
Bulgaria: Bulgarian Parents NGO Threatens Lawsuit as Teachers' Strike Goes On Education Minister Valchev (pictured) has toned down his media appearances over the strike, with Oresharski taking the centre stage in recent weeks. Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia Photo Agency)

An association of Bulgarian parents are threatening to sue Bulgaria's trade unions for inciting teachers to strike and breaching the children's right to education.

Meanwhile the teachers' protests show no sign of abating after at the end of the fourth week of the strike.

The parents plan to sue union bosses Yanka Takeva, Asparuh Tomov and Krum Krumov if the unions fail to reach an agreement in their wage dispute with the cabinet by Monday, organisation director Vyara Lazarova told Darik News on Friday.

The lawsuits would be lodged both with the International Court of Justice in The Hague and the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, she added.

Union chiefs were not available for comment, but the central strike committee claimed on Friday more support for its cause from other trade unions, including the doctors who are mulling their own protests.

The committee also claimed that 98% of all teachers in the country had joined the strike.

With the strike going on for four weeks already, representatives of the trade unions met with experts from the education and finance ministries to try and reach middle ground in the wage dispute that is now threatening to undermine the academic year in the country.

Earlier this week the cabinet sweetened its offer to promise gross wages of BGN 650, an increase of 46% over the current average wage of BGN 440.

The talks left the cabinet confident it reached a deal, only for the union bosses to back out, demanding an average of BGN 790, an increase of 78%, but still lower than their initial demands of 95%.

Grilled by MPs on Friday, Finance Minister Plamen Oresharski refused to commit himself by quoting figures, saying only that the teachers' wages will be "maximised", but only within the existing macroeconomic framework of the draft budget bill, which will hit the parliamentary floor in early-November.

The next round of talks between Oresharski, education minister Daniel Valchev and the trade unions are scheduled for the weekend.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!

Politics » Be a reporter: Write and send your article

Advertisement
Advertisement
Bulgaria news Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) is unique with being a real time news provider in English that informs its readers about the latest Bulgarian news. The editorial staff also publishes a daily online newspaper "Sofia Morning News." Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) and Sofia Morning News publish the latest economic, political and cultural news that take place in Bulgaria. Foreign media analysis on Bulgaria and World News in Brief are also part of the web site and the online newspaper. News Bulgaria