site.btaInterior Ministry Officers Cancel Protests as Unions Open Talks with Leaders

Interior Ministry Officers Cancel Protests as Unions Open Talks with Leaders

Sofia, June 30 (BTA) - Interior Ministry officers on Tuesday
cancelled their July 5 protests after trade unions started talks
 with the ministry leadership on Monday. The Trade Union
Federation of Interior Ministry Employees (TUFIME) warned,
however, that if the talks prove unproductive, the decision will
 be reversed.

Unionists will prolong their presence in the tent camp outside
Parliament because their demands concerning the security sector
pension reform have not been met, TUFIME said in a media
statement.

TUFIME suspended its call for the resignation of members of the
Interior Ministry's political leadership while waiting for the
talks to produce results, but insisted on the resignation of
Fire Directorate chief Nikolai Nikolov. The Interior Ministry
asked to know why the unions insist on Nikolov's removal.

TUFIME and Deputy Interior Minister Tsvyatko Georgiev agreed
during a meeting that the unions and the ministry will set up a
committee to inspect the working conditions and other issues
along Bulgaria's border with Turkey. Georgiev promised that the
ministry will adopt a standard formula for measuring the working
 hours of Interior Ministry employees seconded to the
Bulgarian-Turkish border, participants in the meeting reported.
The Defence Ministry will provide 28 all-terrain vehicles and 56
 professional drivers to transport police officers who are
posted to work at the border.

Personnel adjustments are planned in the Border Police. A
working group will review effective legislation concerning the
duration of official leave, reporting periods and work shifts
and the right to refuse to work overtime. A special committee
will review all subordinate legislation of the last few months
relevant to the socioeconomic rights of Interior Ministry
employees.