site.btaJanuary 29, 1997: Trade Unions Go on Nationwide Strike against Bulgarian Socialist Party's Cabinet

The Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB), the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour and the Promyana Alliance for National, Union and Civic Action launched a nationwide strike against the government of the Bulgarian Socialist Party on January 29, 1997.

The action began at 7 a.m., affecting more than 534 enterprises, with a total workforce of 335,665 people, and more than 350 trade union groups in kindergartens and schools across the country. The strike was part of ongoing anti-government protests that started in early January, sparked by soaring inflation, which was turning into hyperinflation, and the inability of the Zhan Videnov government to manage the economic crisis and prevent widespread poverty. The trade unions' main demands included economic and social reforms, snap parliamentary elections, and the creation of an anti-crisis programme.

The strike ended on February 5, 1997. This comes a day after the Democratic Left's prime minister designate, Nikolai Dobrev, returned the government-forming mandate he received on January 28, 1997. On February 4, 1997, the President's Consultative Council on National Security reached an agreement to preserve social peace and snap parliamentary elections to be held.

Following is the BTA External Service news item of January 29, 1997, on the trade unions' general strike:

General National Strike Starts

      Sofia, January 29 (BTA) - The Trade Union of Railway Employees with the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB), one of the major trade union amalgamations in the country, went on strike Wednesday stopping fast and express trains in the country as well as the international trains for Belgrade and Athens for an hour, the CITUB strike committee said.  Based on information already received, the trade union expects over 90% of railmen to join the strike, disrupting the operation of domestic and international train services.

      The general strike decision was made at Tuesday's joint meeting of the three most influential trade unions in Bulgaria, the CITUB, the Podkrepa Labour Confederation and the Promyana Alliance for National, Union and Civic Action. The strikers' main demands include early parliamentary elections, an anti-crisis programme, monthly wage bargaining and weekly wage payments.

      Local trade-union structures have been staging protest actions at separate enterprises for a month now. Starting on Wednesday, the big trade unions will hold daily protest rallies in front of the building of Parliament.

      Industry-wide trade union structures and chapters in different parts of the country are joining the general strike. Port employees in Burgas (on the southern Black Sea coast), public transport workers in several towns and cities including Plovdiv (the second largest city, South Bulgaria), taxi drivers in a number of population centres headed the appeal for effective general strike. Meetings to take decision for going on strike were held in the port of Varna (on the Northern Black Sea coast) and the airport of Sofia.

      The possible staging of strike actions was considered at the Kremikovtsi Steel Works, near Sofia, and at Neftochim, Bulgaria's biggest oil refinery in Burgas where a protest rally was held.  The warning strike actions at national television are going on. The sectoral trade union at national radio staged protests. Protests of various forms are organized at a lot of enterprises.  The defence industry trade unions and civilian employees at departments subordinated to the Defence Ministry are holding protests after their working hours and outside the plants.

      Medical workers from several Sofia hospitals, including the Pirogov emergency aid hospital, took part in different forms of protests on Wednesday. The Union of Pharmacists issued a declaration warning that in a matter of days or weeks, the crisis will prove fatal for people's health.

      At 9:00 hrs 347 local structures of the trade unions in kindergartens and schools were reported to have started effective strike actions; 160 schools out of 3,939 in Bulgaria joined different forms of protests on Wednesday, Georgi Mihailov, Head of Department with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, told a news conference.  Four higher education establishments in Sofia, including St Kliment Ohridski University, join the general strike, his colleague Ervant Stepanyan said. Trade-unionists from institutes affiliated to the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences held a protest march.