Bulgaria State Railroad Company Sacks Thousands of Workers

Bulgarian railroad workers reject layoffs and closure of railways as anti-crisis measures. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria’s State Railroad Company BDZ began the planned mass dismissal of workers.

The decision to sack railroad workers was announced on September 2. The first 1 330 employees will be discharged Thursday.

The staff reductions are part of the anti-crisis measures package of the BDZ management and have been presented to the Trade Unions.

The reason cited for the dismissals is the registered 37% decrease of freight and 7,4% of passengers in the first half of 2009.

Over 300 railroad workers gathered Sunday at a rally in the central town of Gorna Oriahovitsa, one of Bulgaria's key railroad stations.

Petar Bunev, Chair of the Railroad Trade Unions, said the way the railroad employees have been treated equaled genocide. He claims over 30 000 workers will be affected by the measures.

The low salaries of BGN 200-300 a month, which are never paid regularly, and the upcoming layoffs of about 4,000 railroad workers constitute physiological harassment and stress and trigger low morale, and lack of motivation, Bunev explained.

The protesting railroad workers issued a declaration demanding the annulment of the proposed anti-crisis measures of staff reduction and closure of railroads. They say the measures endanger the safety and security of the railroad operations.

The demonstrators also declared their readiness to go on strike.