site.btaSofia Mayor Refuses Meeting with Surface Transport Protesters If Strike Continues

Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev said he will not meet the protesting surface transport employees and trade unions as long as their strike continues. Speaking to journalists on Sunday, he stressed that he "has no reason to talk with people, who are holding a whole city hostage".

Sofia's surface transport remained blocked for a fifth consecutive day Sunday as the employees are protesting for better pay. Drivers have blocked the depots and are preventing cars from leaving the garages. They are protesting for a BGN 400 pay rise from March 1, 2025, as well as for the provision of sanitary facilities and toilets, improved lighting, heating and work uniform. The demands also include an increase in the cost of overheads for meals from BGN 15 to BGN 20 from March 1, 2025.

Terziev invited the protesters to talks at City Hall on Monday, but only if they put the city's surface transport into motion. "I do not see what it means to negotiate. There are some unreasonable demands on the table and they say, ‘Until we get them, we are not going to stop,’" Terziev said. He said there needs to be an honest conversation about what is possible and what is not possible.

"If we meet their demands, it would burden the budget with BGN 200 million every year. The Municipality's own revenues are in the range of BGN 800-900 million and there is no way we can allocate that much money from them, which would otherwise go to infrastructure, kindergartens. This option cannot be done," the Mayor said.

"If we increase all salaries by a little bit, we will have this conversation next year and the year after, and we will still not solve the problems. Because with last year's wage increase, drivers' salaries increased, but new drivers did not come because the formula used does not result in a young driver achieving an income commensurate with those in the private sector," Terziev explained.

He said what he was proposing would lead to a salary of BGN 2,700-2,800, which is comparable to the private sector. Terziev insisted on a responsible attitude towards transport and that the system should not be broken.

Asked if administrative cuts would help solve the problem, Terziev said that this is also possible, but it has to come from the heads of the companies themselves. "In ten years the average age of drivers has increased by ten years. The number of drivers is falling because they are not thinking ahead and making reforms. When I think about transport, I think long-term," the mayor said.

Regarding the upcoming high school exams and transport provision, Terziev said that he hoped that sense would be shown and transport would be restored. "But even without that happening, we are organizing, we did an analysis of how many children managed to get to schools without surface transportation. There is a working group set up by the Minister of Education," the Mayor said. "The taxi companies have promised support, I have spoken to them. When crises come, we unite, we are in solidarity as a society," Terziev added.

Regarding the risk of the metro being stopped Terziev said that currently the actions of the transport officials are illegal. "When it is a protest, there are rules and it does not involve blocking the depots. The strike has clear rules and it necessarily involves at least part of transport working," Terziev said. “It is neither a protest nor a strike, it is civil disobedience,” he added.