site.btaTrade Unions Demand Higher Wages for Transport Workers, Threaten Protests

The Federation of Transport Trade Unions at the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) sent a protest declaration to MPs, the ministers of finance and transport and to the mayors and municipal councillors of Sofia, Varna and Ruse with a demand for a rise in wages, the CITUB press service reported on Friday. A horizontal income policy is needed to ensure a minimum 15% increase in staff costs, according to the Federation.

The declaration demands additional funds from the 2025 Budget, which would ensure an increase in the subsidy for Sofia public transport by BGN 29 million, for public transport in Varna, on the Black Sea, by BGN 6.5 million, and for the one in Ruse, on the Danube, by BGN 0.7 million. The request for the Executive Agency Road Transport Administration is BGN 4.5 million. The total amount needed is BGN 40.7 million.

The chronic underfunding of the transport sector does not bring peace of mind and confidence for the present and future of those working in it, the Federation said. It noted that the increase in the minimum wage from January 1, 2025, necessitates an increase in the sector's earmarked wage bill. The declaration continues: "We would also reiterate our repeated insistence that Bulgaria follow the provisions of Directive 1370/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council on public road transport services. On the basis of this directive, the country must achieve a balanced ratio between state and municipal funding for urban transport, aiming for a 50/50 ratio that would ensure stability and development."

A national protest organized by the Federation of Transport Workers at the Podkrepa Labour Confederation and the Federation of Transport Trade Unions at CITUB will be held in Sofia on April 14.