Bulgarian PM Calls on Workers to Rally at Owner's Home

Bulgarian Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, believes the strike of workers at the Lead and Zinc complex in Kardzhali is a show of support for his Cabinet. Photo by BGNES

The State cannot force bankrupt company owners to do what it is deemed right, otherwise it would turn into a police State, according to Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov.

Speaking in a Monday morning interview for the largest private TV channel bTV, the PM pointed out Bulgaria is a democratic country, applying the rule of law.

"Bankruptcy is declared by magistrates not the country leader," he said while commenting on problems at the Lead and Zinc Complex in Kardzhali, where workers have staged for weeks and continue to stage protest rallies and road blockades over their long-overdue salaries.

"The State can only show solidarity as it did by offering these people a one-time cash assistance of BGN 325. The other option is to take owner Zahariev to them so that they can throw stones at him. Creditors must agree now and turn this plant profitable. I see the protest as support for the Cabinet and aimed only against Valentin Zahariev. If they want civil unrest, let them do it in front of Zahariev's house," Borisov stressed.

The Lead and Zinc Complex is owned by Valentin Zahariev, now-former owner of the Gorubso Madan metal mines. Gorubso Madan miners finally received their overdue wages at the end of March, after they had been staging protests for two weeks.

Zahariev announced 10 days ago that he had been able to secure a loan in the amount of BGN 1.5 M to pay the salaries, but failed to set an exact deadline on grounds he was still seeking collaterals for loan.

In the Monday interview, Borisov declared Zahariev a prot?g? of former PM and right-wing leader, Ivan Kostov. He rejected Zahariev's words that the later had donated BGN 5 000 for the campaign of the ruling Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party, GERB, as total non-sense.

The PM blamed the previous government of the Three-Way Coalition of passing an "amnesty" law that protects them and makes it impossible for them to have to face a Court of law.

The PM reiterated that had assigned his Deputy and Finance Minister, Simeon Djankov, to lead "reasonable" negotiations on the unpaid wages, while last week Djankov told workers that they should receive their pay by Easter, which is on Sunday, April 15th.

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