site.btaWorkers of Svilocell Plant in Svishtov Demand Unpaid Wages

Workers and employees of Svilosa AD and its subsidiary company Svilocell EAD, which produces bleached sulfate cellulose from hardwood, held a protest to demand their unpaid wages on Thursday in Svishtov, Northcentral Bulgaria.

The enterprise last paid wages of BGN 1,000 in September 2025, which employees said is not the full amount of their wages. They pointed out that not only have they not received their full pay for September, but they have also not received salaries for October, November, December and January. The employees noted that the last meeting with the owner of the plant, Krassimir Datchev, was on December 18, when he promised that the wages would be paid.

200 workers and employees have left their jobs because of unpaid wages in order to receive unemployment benefits, Svilocell EAD CEO Mihail Kolchev told BTA. He emphasized that this is almost half of their entire staff, as at the beginning of 2026, the number of employees at the enterprise was 460. "Many of the workers who left declared that they would return when production resumes, but this is not certain," Kolchev said, adding that even if the production line resumes work, it will be difficult to recruit staff again. "We will probably then also turn to the Employment Agency," he pointed out.

Kolchev stated that the enterprise is not working at the moment and its future is also unclear for now. "We are trying to raise financial capital, we are negotiating with banks, the owner of the plant Krassimir Datchev is also committed and making efforts," he said, citing however turmoil in the industry, expensive raw materials, and the inability to sell the production as reasons for the plant to have stopped working.