site.btaCountry-wide Protests against Suspension of Train Services

Country-wide Protests
against Suspension
of Train Services


Sofia, January 17 (BTA) - Hundreds came out to protest on
Saturday against the suspension of train services and reductions
 in the Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ), which the Transport
Ministry has started enforcing since the beginning of this year.
 Despite promises that no more trains will be suspended starting
 February 1, many citizens continued to protest in a few regions
 across the country.

On Friday the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in
Bulgaria (CITUB) said that BDZ will stop closing passenger train
 services, and those suspended earlier this week will be
reopened, after the Council of Ministers adopts a decree to this
 effect on January 21.

An agreement to stop the train reductions was reached on Friday
between the CITUB leadership, Transport Minister Ivaylo
Moskovski and Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov, CITUB said.

Under the future decree, a 40 million leva capital transfer from
 the national budget to BDZ will be transformed into a subsidy.
On Monday, BDZ reduced the number of trains operating in various
 parts of the country, because the annual subsidy for public
transport services had been reduced by 40 million leva, and
because the company decided that it did not have enough rolling
stock.

Some 400 protestors blocked three trains in the Central town of
Karlovo. Over 1,000 protested in the city of Gorna Oryahovitsa
(North-central Bulgaria), which is a major railway hub. Among
the signs carried by protestors were "No to the destruction of
Bulgarian railways", "I am BDZ", "Stopping trains is genocide",
"We want to work here and not abroad!".

Transport Minister Ivaylo Moskovski arrived in Karlovo. He was
adamant that there is no way the trade unions' demands to return
 all train services can be met. He promised, however, that a
national investment strategy for BDZ's reforms and development
will be drafted over the next three months, which will be valid
for the following seven years.

Moskovski recalled that so far BDZ's debt amounts to 550 million
 leva. EU funding will be sought under OP Transport for the
State railways' development, he said. Answering a question, the
Minister said that layoffs in BDZ are inevitable, but they will
focus on people who have reached retirement age. He went on to
say that the most unprofitable trains will be suspended.

There were protests in other cities and towns across the
country. The railway workers said that they will stay in a
protest-ready mode until they get a confirmation that the
January 12 order to suspend train services has been cancelled.
SN/MY
 


/ÌÉ/