52 Bulgarian trains stop for an hour

Yesterday, 52 trains across Bulgaria stopped for one hour. Four train compositions, which were scheduled to travel to the towns of Varna, Burgas, Cherven Briag (Red Bank) and Kyustendil, remained at the Central Railway Station, Sofia from 10 am to 11 am. At that time, a one-hour warning strike of railwaymen was staged. They protested against the personnel layoffs at BDZ (Bulgarian State Railways PLC), which were among the terms and conditions stipulated by the World Bank for granting a loan to the national railway carrier.

BDZ ranked last in terms of productivity in the EU, said Transport Minister, Alexandar Tsevtkov, while the MPs from the Budget and Finance Committee discussed the option of BDZ to be granted BGN 140 mln in order to start repaying its liabilities. In fact, trains transport a total of 80,000 people per day on average, while altogether 31,000 officials are employed by the Bulgarian State Railways PLC. In 2009, the proceeds from ticket sales stood at around BGN 84 mln, while staff maintenance costs amounted to BGN 98 mln. 

By the time Klassa went to press, there was still no clarity on the final result of the negotiations being held between trade unions and BDZ's management. It was still not clear whether the effective strike actions announced as of today will be actually staged.

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