After four hours of negotiations on Friday October 26, Education Minister Daniel Vulchev and leader of the Confederation of independent trade unions KNSB, Zhelyazko Hrisov, announced that an agreement had been reached which could end the one month old teachers' strike.

The two expressed the hope the agreement would be approved by union members and could be signed on Monday October 29, BTA announced.

Under the agreement, as of November 1, the average gross salary for teachers and non-teaching staff would be 525 and 283 leva respectively.
In July 2008 both salaries would be increased, with salaries for teachers reaching 650 leva.

Under the agreement, a proposal would be made to Parliament to secure in the 2008 budget an additional 470 million leva for education, compared to 2007.
According to Trenchev, the strike had opened the debate about reforms in all sectors of state administration.

Negotiations on October 26 were held between Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev, Education Minister Daniel Vulchev, Finance Minister Plamen Oresharski, KNSB leader Zhelyazko Hristov and president of KT Podkrepa Konstantin Trenchev.

Friday's talks followed dramatic developments on the night before when the talks were first said to have reached an advanced stage, but had the trade unions suddenly walk out on the negotiation table, BTA reported.

"After yet another round of fruitless talks which were being held in an unethical manner and in violation of all standards of civilised dialogue, we left the negotiations," Nikolai Nikolov, spokesperson of the national strike committee was quoted by BTA as saying.

On October 26, before negotiations, President Georgi Purvanov met with trade unions representatives. He urged a solution on the teachers' demands. Purvanov warned that the local elections on October 29 and a second round a week would not provide the right conditions to reach an agreement.

Speaking to journalists after the negotiations on October 26, Vulchev expressed his hope that classed would continue on October 30.