site.btaTrade Unions, Right-wing Formation Urge President to Veto New Concessions Law

Trade Unions, Right-wing Formation Urge President to Veto New Concessions Law


Sofia, February 2 (BTA) - The Podkrepa Confederation of Labour calls on the President to impose a veto on the Concessions Act, Podkrepa leader Dimiter Manolov said Thursday. Manolov and representatives of the trade union's leadership conferred with President Roumen Radev in his office.

Later in the day, the Right-wing New Republic formation made public an open letter to President Radev with an identical request for vetoing the new concessions legislation.

Both Podkrepa and New Republic argue that the Concessions Act was hastily adopted by Parliament by what New Republic calls "a thematic majority", in the dark and at the very end of the legislature's term.

New Republic says that the law serves corporate interests and that it aims to cement lucrative city cleaning concessions for "the right companies" for decades to come.

Emerging from the meeting with the President, the Podkrepa leader said there was practically no public debate on the Concessions Act which confirms concerns that there is something wrong with this law.

He said they also discussed with the President what Podkrepa sees as an insufficient subsidy for the Railway Infrastructure National Company. Podkrepa believes it present amount would not ensure the functioning of this system.

Podkrepa expects Radev to be the leader of public debate, particularly as there is a long list of problems, such as in education, health care and social policy, awaiting solution, Manolov said.