Sofia to Have Only Underground Transport on May 14 as Workers Demand Fair Wages

On May 14, a new protest is set to take place in Sofia, organized by workers in the capital’s public transport sector. The workers plan to block the exit of vehicles at various depots across the city, including buses, trolleybuses, and trams.

This protest is being led by the Federation of Transport Unions within CITUB and the Federation of Transport Workers at the Podkrepa Confederation of Trade Unions. The reason for the demonstration is the ongoing underfunding of the transport sector, inadequate income policies, and the failure of relevant institutions to engage in meaningful dialogue or provide solutions.

The unions are pushing for an immediate allocation of additional funds from the state budget, totaling BGN 40.7 million. This amount includes BGN 29 million for Sofia City Transport, BGN 6.5 million for Varna City Transport, BGN 0.7 million for Ruse City Transport, and BGN 4.5 million for the Executive Agency "Automobile Administration". While Sofia workers are leading the protest, colleagues from public transport companies in Varna and Ruse, as well as from the Automobile Administration, will also symbolically join the demonstration.

The protest will take place in front of the following locations across the capital:

• Blvd. "Nikola Mushanov" 149, near the entrance to the Krasna Polyana Tram Depot

• Blvd. "Tsar Boris III" 126A, near the entrance to the Tramcar Division

• Str. "Lieutenant Colonel Kalitin" 30, near the Banishora Tram Depot

• Iskar Scientific and Production Zone, Str. "5003" № 5, near the Iskar Tram Depot

• Str. "Lieutenant Colonel Kalitin" No. 28, near the Nadezhda Trolleybus Garage

• "Amsterdam" No. 7, near the Iskar Trolleybus Garage

• "Bessarabia" No. 26, near the Levski Trolleybus Garage

• Zhitnitsa St., near the Zemlyane Bus Garage

• Prof. Tsvetan Lazarov St., near the Druzhba Bus Garage

• Rezbarska St., No. 11, near the Malashevtsi Bus Garage

• Jacques Duclos St., No. 57, near the Malashevtsi Bus Garage

The unions are calling for an immediate meeting with the Ministry of Finance, the Council of Ministers, and the Sofia Municipality to address the issues at hand and find a long-term solution that supports the workers responsible for ensuring mobility throughout the country. The protest will be held under the slogan: "Decent work - decent pay! Without transport, there is no economy!"