Protest under the windows of power. KNSB organized a protest rally in front of the National Assembly and a motorcade along the central boulevards and streets of Sofia. The action is entitled “For higher rewards with Budget 2024 and for a clear and secure energy future of Bulgaria”.
The union demands that between 450 and 500 million BGN be set aside for salary increases in a number of areas.
Plamen Dimitrov: There may be no transport before Christmas in Sofia
The discontent comes on the eve of the final vote on the state’s budget for next year. The KNSB insists that there be BGN 450 million in it only for salaries – a request that has not been satisfied so far after the changes in the draft budget were adopted in committee. From there, they promised that public transport would not be stopped as an act of protest during the holidays, but this cannot be guaranteed after the New Year.
According to Alexander Shopov, chairman of the Federation of Transport Trade Unions at the KNSB, the requests are for another 37 million BGN, which will be sufficient for an increase in wages in the field of urban transport for 2024.
“Yesterday, during the Budget and Finance Committee, we were denied funds. Not a single lawmaker voted in favor of the workers getting the requested increase. Asen Vasilev, in his capacity as Minister of Finance, did not allocate funds for this. We block “Orlov Most” together with our colleagues from all over the country. Tomorrow we will have an urgent meeting of the federation’s structures to decide how to act”, said Shopov. He added that all talks with the rulers have been fruitless, but if they are invited again, they will respond.
“What the government gives us is not enough to support the city transport – the salaries, as well as the servicing of the vehicles themselves. Urban transport is a social policy and service that should be subsidized by the state. However, the authorities are also fighting for cleaner air in Sofia, and this can be achieved by removing people from the cars,” said Valentin Danov, representative of the “Transport” sector at KNSB
“We are asking for 40 million more from the Ministry of Health to make it possible to achieve the salaries under the KTD in hospitals. As well as another BGN 20 million to increase salaries in the health care system, which are in the budget. They are about 15,000 people in Bulgaria”, added Plamen Radoslavov, Deputy Chairman of the Health Federation of the National Health Service of Bulgaria.
The sector complains that, due to low wages, there is not enough manpower in public transport in the country’s big cities. This requires the workers there to put in a lot of overtime.
2023-12-18 10:40:58
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