Bulgaria’s Public Media Workers Block Sofia Intersection, Demand Fair Pay

Hundreds of employees from Bulgaria's three major public media outlets - BNT, BNR, and BTA - staged a peaceful protest today, demanding a 15% salary increase. The demonstration took place in Sofia, where the protesters temporarily blocked the intersection near Sofia University, as well as in other cities including Varna, Shumen, Plovdiv, Blagoevgrad, and Stara Zagora.

Union-organized, the protest aimed to emphasize the high value of media work and to call for wages comparable to those in public media across Europe. In Varna, media workers gathered at the 'Pochivka' monument, while journalists in Shumen staged a silent protest in front of BTA and Radio Shumen offices. Employees from the Maritsa East 2 TPP also expressed their support by holding a silent protest during their lunch break.

Toma Bikov, a GERB MP and Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Culture and Media in the 51st National Assembly, voiced his support for the media workers' demands. He acknowledged that their protest was justified and outlined potential measures to address their concerns.

Bikov stated that discussions have already been initiated with the directors of BNT and BNR regarding possible budget reallocations to cover the requested salary increases. Specifically, he suggested that removing some BNR programs from the multiplex - a move that could save around 1.5 million leva - would provide sufficient funds for salary adjustments. Additionally, he noted that the broadcaster's medium-wave transmitter, which reportedly costs over a million leva annually despite being scarcely used, could also be considered for removal.

Bikov further emphasized the need for financial optimization and technological modernization across the public media sector, pointing out that both BNT and BNR own significant property assets that are underutilized. The parliamentary committee, he said, is in agreement on the necessity for these cost-saving measures.