site.bta Tobacco Workers Protest against Liquidation of Sofia-BT

Tobacco Workers Protest against  Liquidation of Sofia-BT

Sofia, March 30 (BTA) - Tobacco workers staged protests against the liquidation of Sofia-BT AD in the area between the National Assembly and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Representatives of the trade unions and the protestors entered Parliament and requested a meeting with National Assembly Chairperson Tsetska Tsacheva.

The protest follows an announcement earlier this month by Bulgartabac that it is starting massive layoffs at its Sofia factory and suspending export to the Middle East due to market shrinkage.

The protestors chanted "We want to be heard by the MPs" and "We want our jobs". They stressed that it is the MPs, who elect the Supervisory Board of the Agency for Privatization and Post-privatization Control.

Valentin Nikiforov, Vice President of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB), recalled that the agreement on the privatization of Bulgartabac envisages that the company may not be closed down until 2021. "Why is the owner's name not disclosed? Whom shall we negotiate with?", he asked rhetorically.

Nikiforov said further that more than 400 people will be laid off as of May 10 and they are offered compensations. Only one factory in Blagoevgrad will remain operational. He described allegations that the workers receive compensation of 35,000 leva as a lie.

Protests will continue in front of the building of Bulgartabac Holding on Thursday. "We want that post-privatization control be exercised and that we would be able to see the owner and the estimates. We want to know why [the owner] does not accept other offers but has selected the option of liquidation," Nikiforov added.