Forestry employees are to become the next group in Bulgaria to go on strike after the teachers and the social workers.

The strike was scheduled for October 4 2007, union leader Petar Abrashev said as quoted by Focus news agency.

The decision for the strike was made as early as September 24 2007 because demands by the forestry employees, presented to the Cabinet in June 2007, had not been met.

Demands included a 25 per cent increase of the start gross salary, which currently is 368 leva, increased by up to 100 per cent of the salaries once the planned Forestry Agency starts functioning, and participation in the amendments of the forestry law.

Abrashev said that the forestry law did not function, allowing nearly 150 million leva to be utilised by private companies, instead of entering the state budget.

Forestry industry made nearly 300 million leva per year, but the budget allocated for it was only 100 million, he said.
 
According to Abrashev, the number of forestry employees decreased from 14 500 to 7500.