TOBACCO workers may rise in nationwide strikes against the lack of social guarantees in the privatisation of Bulgartabac.
The starting date and form of the protests is yet to be decided between the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) and Podkrepa Labour Confederation, CITUB deputy chairman Plamen Dimitrov said last Thursday.
Trade unions and the new owner of Bulgartabac, Tobacco Capital Partners, negotiated for two days last week over the number of employees and annual production but did not reach an agreement.
Last Friday, trade unions gave the Privatisation Agency (PA) 10 days to open negotiations with Tobacco Capital Partners on the job schedule and the amount of cigarettes to be produced.
That decision was taken at an extraordinary meeting in Sofia of the organisations of tobacco workers with the country’s two most influential trade unions.
The unions insist that the future buyer keeps all 9 600 jobs at the holding rather than only 6 000 as it proposed in its privatisation offer. They want the annual cigarette output at 50 000 tons.
“Otherwise we’ll go ahead with protests everywhere,” Podkrepa leader Konstantin Trenchev said.
CITUB leader Zhelyazko Hristov confirmed that they will be firm on their position over the 9 600 jobs and 50 000 tons of cigarettes.
Hristov accused the Privatisation Agency of disregarding the social impact in its negotiations with the potential buyers of Bulgartabac, which it described as “betrayal of the Bulgartabac workers’ interests”.
Meanwhile, Rosbulgartabac, the consortium of Russian bank Regionalna Perspektiva and cigarette distributor Market Fort, announced on Monday it would appeal against the procedure for the privatisation of Bulgartabac, possibly by linking it to Russia’s claims to properties of the holding.
Representatives of Regionalna Perspektiva and Market Fort were expected to arrive in Sofia this week. Lawyers for the consortium are expected to announce how they will appeal the procedure.
On August 22 the Privatisation Agency selected Tobacco Capital Partners as preferred buyer, and Rosbulgartabac was ranked last by the seller. Last week Russian Ambassador to Bulgaria Vladimir Titov said Russia had no claims to the future buyer of the holding.
The starting date and form of the protests is yet to be decided between the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) and Podkrepa Labour Confederation, CITUB deputy chairman Plamen Dimitrov said last Thursday.
Trade unions and the new owner of Bulgartabac, Tobacco Capital Partners, negotiated for two days last week over the number of employees and annual production but did not reach an agreement.
Last Friday, trade unions gave the Privatisation Agency (PA) 10 days to open negotiations with Tobacco Capital Partners on the job schedule and the amount of cigarettes to be produced.
That decision was taken at an extraordinary meeting in Sofia of the organisations of tobacco workers with the country’s two most influential trade unions.
The unions insist that the future buyer keeps all 9 600 jobs at the holding rather than only 6 000 as it proposed in its privatisation offer. They want the annual cigarette output at 50 000 tons.
“Otherwise we’ll go ahead with protests everywhere,” Podkrepa leader Konstantin Trenchev said.
CITUB leader Zhelyazko Hristov confirmed that they will be firm on their position over the 9 600 jobs and 50 000 tons of cigarettes.
Hristov accused the Privatisation Agency of disregarding the social impact in its negotiations with the potential buyers of Bulgartabac, which it described as “betrayal of the Bulgartabac workers’ interests”.
Meanwhile, Rosbulgartabac, the consortium of Russian bank Regionalna Perspektiva and cigarette distributor Market Fort, announced on Monday it would appeal against the procedure for the privatisation of Bulgartabac, possibly by linking it to Russia’s claims to properties of the holding.
Representatives of Regionalna Perspektiva and Market Fort were expected to arrive in Sofia this week. Lawyers for the consortium are expected to announce how they will appeal the procedure.
On August 22 the Privatisation Agency selected Tobacco Capital Partners as preferred buyer, and Rosbulgartabac was ranked last by the seller. Last week Russian Ambassador to Bulgaria Vladimir Titov said Russia had no claims to the future buyer of the holding.
