3 Bulgarian Highway Construction Workers Begin Hunger Strike

Three workers employed on construction of Lyulin highway are on hunger strike, protesting about a lack of labor rights. Photo by BGNES

Three Bulgarians employed on the construction of Lyulin highway have begun a hunger strike.

The three have been named as Iliana Gogeva, a crane operator; Metodi Zafirov, welder; and Valeri Ivanov, driver, and are all employees of the Mapa Cengiz company, the main contractor on the highway project.

They are staging their hunger protest at the beam factory where they work. According to Iliana Gogeva, one of the hunger strikers and chair of the Confederation of Independent Syndicates (KNSB), they are insisting on equal labor conditions for Bulgarians.

Bulgarian workers have frequently complained that they are paid a third of what their Turkish colleagues earn, and that the food provided is unsuited to Bulgarian tastes.

"At the canteen, mostly Turkish dishes are being made, and we are forced to eat them too,"  Gogeva complained.

The three hunger strikers will remain at their workplace overnight, they have announced. Their colleagues are not expected to join the protest, in order not to disrupt construction work on the highway.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!