Behind the Prolely of the Grinding Urban Transport in Sofia, political levers are visible
The blockage of urban transport in Sofia has not yet been able to impose on the operational management of the city an increase in remuneration by 400 levs on all 7,000 employees, but behind this urgent trade union request is the political motivation of its leaders.
« We have requested an increase of BGN 400 for this year, 500 BGN – for the next and 600 – for 2027 for all employees who are 7000, » insists Ivan Kirilov, chairman of the Federation of Transport Workers at Podkrepa and the main engine of the protest. And he told you to you that they had sent their requests to Mayor Vasil Terziev since April 14, but since then he had not met him, there was no answer and therefore the protests began.
Ivan Kirilov is a municipal councilor of the BSP and participates in the meetings of the Sofia City Council (SOC), and since April 14, two have already been held – on 24 and April 29. They are also present Terziev.
The supporter of Podkrepa as part of the BSP group participates in the vote of the so -called. An economic majority that dominates key solutions in SOCs. It includes GERB, BSP, ITN and Renaissance breakthroughs.
It was this majority on July 27, 2024 that he appointed without competition the new leadership of the protesters now municipal transport companies – Sofia Motor Transport and Sofia Electric Transport, as well as Metropolitan and CCM.
« Now the negotiations mostly Kirilov is pressing politically, not union and still insists on 500 and 600 levs and nothing else. How to negotiate with such an opposite, » Mayor Terziev told journalists today. These demands are a total of over BGN 125 million alone for raising remunerations and trade unions do not offer options where to take.
At the end of today’s negotiations with Mayor Terziev Kirilov, he told the media that he would plead in front of the protesters on Friday the subway to work. Asked by Dnevnik why he was absent from the municipal council session today, he replied that he was receiving two salaries – from Podkrepa and the municipality.
The municipal councilor is also the former chairman of the CITUB Transport Union, Ekaterina Yordanova. She heads the Women GERB structure in the party of Boyko Borisov, and is now an honorary chairman of the Union of Transport Unions in Bulgaria, established two years ago. This union also participated in the protest of urban transport, she explained to Dnevnik, but were not invited to negotiations with the mayor.
« If there is no dialogue, we will be forced to bring people out to the street, » Kirilov said then. « We know other instruments – besides negotiations, and the protest, » Yordanova added. The government of Kiril Petkov was overthrown in a few months and since then the unions have no interest in the state budget and since the end of 2023 have been redirected to the municipal.
Asked « Dnevnik » whether they protested when the municipality was run by GERB, Yordanova replied: « We also protested when Boyko Borisov was mayor and he is the man who paid attention to the people in the transport sector, because we found them with minimal salaries, we raised them.
The third trade unionist in the SOC is Vanya Grigorova, who is in the BSP group, but before he began a political career, he was an adviser to President of Podkrepa Dimitar Manolov. Currently does not actively participate in the event.
