BDZ with a back-up plan in case of a strike of railwaymen

Margarita Dimitrova
m.dimitrova@gmail.com


In the event that railway workers stage effective strike actions, buses will be launched along the routes of the trains, stated yesterday the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications (MTITC), Alexandar Tsvetkov. He warned the railwaymen that if they suspend work, there is danger of them not receiving their salaries on time. Yesterday, the strike committees of BDZ (Bulgarian State Railways PLC) and NRIC (National Railway Infrastructure Company) warned that today train traffic will be suspended for one hour - from 10 am to 11 am. If, however, no agreement is reached with employers, effective strike actions will follow in the coming days and train traffic will be suspended between 8 am and 2 pm.

Revenues of less than BGN 300,000 – BGN 600,000 will be infused in BDZ's budget in case of a staged strike, according to the calculations of BDZ's Executive Director, Pencho Popov. The losses to end customers might reach up to BGN 1 mln in case of the suspension of freight forwarding, forecast on BNR (Bulgarian National Radio), Georgi Minchev, Chairman of the Bulgarian Association for Freight Forwarding, Transport and Logistics.

Both trade unions - CITUB (Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria) and 'Podkrepa' opposed the 30% layoffs of personnel by 2014. Actually, this means the dismissal of 5,744 people, stipulated as one of the terms and conditions by the World Bank in order to allocate a loan of BGN 600 mln to BDZ. A total of BGN 140 mln will be granted to NRIC, while BGN 460 mln will be extended to BDZ. The funds to be released to Bulgarian State Railways PLC will be a government-guaranteed loan, which will be used to redeem liabilities to banks, suppliers and the infrastructure company.

In fact, it does not come down to such extensive layoffs. In the course of 4 years, staff will be reduced by about 20%, explained Minister Tsvetkov. According to the estimates of his deputy, Kamen Kichev, staff will shrink by no more than 5% on average per year.

According to Peter Bunev, the Chairman of the Union of Railwaymen in Bulgaria with CITUB, the World Bank had neither stipulated terms and conditions for a specific number of layoffs, nor the freezing of salaries. When answering Klassa's question whether possible strike actions would not make the financial institution reconsider its decision and refuse the extension of the loan, Bunev answered that the grants were very important for BDZ. After the financial collapse of the Kremikovtzi metallurgical plant and the drop in freight forwarding, the state railway company is unable to repay the credit borrowed in 2005 for the purchase of Siemens diesel rail cars. "Why should the bill be paid by railwaymen?" asked the Bunev.

Прочети цялата новина

Свързани новини: