Working groups were expected to present decisions by October 17, which would lead to a possible end of the teachers' strike, Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) said on October 16.

During negotiations on October 16 between Education Ministry and teachers' unions, two working groups have been formed.

This announced the chairperson of the Bulgarian Teachers’ Union (BTU), Yanka Takeva, BNR said.
Takeva said the two working groups had separate assignments. One group would work out the details of a 20 per cent salary increase as of October 1 2007, where salaries would reach 650 leva in July 2008. The second would work on decentralisation of the funding and deregulation of the standards for student allowances.

In the morning of October 17, the working groups would present their results.

Krum Krumov, chairperson of the union Obrazovanie, said that Education Ministser Daniel Vulchev had promised him he would meet with Prime Minister Stanishev to inform him about the progress made.

A decision would be taken on October 17 about a national protest meeting on Octobrer 18 in Sofia, Krumov said.
The protest meeting was expected to start at 11.30 on Ploshtad Aleksandur Batenberg.

Takeva said, that if an agreement would be reached, it would not be signed without the advise of teachers. The negotiations earlier that day had brought both sides closer to each other, she added.