The Coordinating Council of the Union of Railway Workers in Bulgaria (CS of SZHB), after discussing the progress of the negotiations for concluding a new collective labor agreement (CLA) in the State Enterprise National Company "Railway Infrastructure" (DP NKŽI) and the current situation in the railway system, requested na-rakovodstvoto-na-nkji" target="_blank">the resignation of the management of NKJI. This was announced by the union. What's going on… Peter Bunev, chairman of the Union of Railway Workers in Bulgaria, spoke to FACTS.
- Mr. Bunev, what can't you agree with the current management of DP NKŽI in order to get to the point of asking for their resignation?
- We have clearly formulated problems in NKŽI, but we do not see opportunities and ways to solve them. I'll start with the problems – we are talking about the large number of vacancies (ie - vacancies), the dangerously growing average age of the operating staff, the permanent work in a reduced staff, the work of a large number of colleagues under a second employment contract for additional work with the same employer, the high and constantly growing share of the prohibited by law, and in the conditions of railway transport and hazardous overtime. I can't help but include the other issue – the chaos that is happening in the whole system and in particular at the Sofia station. But let's go in order. We are currently negotiating the signing of a new Collective Labor Agreement. We have clearly stated problems, these are not just claims, but we are looking for a way to find a common solution. I give an example.
We currently have 1300 vacancies.
There is simply no one to come to work. Here comes the problem of middle age in the company – we are talking about staff 50+, people constantly have to work in reduced staff, then comes overtime. We have put these things on the table and are looking for solutions. If this goes on a little longer, we will have no workers. Many people are at pre-retirement age and when they leave - what happens... Look, in the end it may turn out that soon there will be no people to let the train go to the station. That's the big problem. Do you understand the seriousness.
- Do we understand that the lack of rank-and-file personnel is the biggest problem?
- To run trains, to operate a station, people are needed. This should be clear to everyone. And the work of these people, believe me, is not easy.
- Nobody says it's light…
- I mean that a railway employee has many responsibilities. Every employee goes through three years of psychological examination, every three years he passes an exam according to the regulations, he is given preventive medical examinations. These are all requirements for him. As much as some people think that the railway is just a thing, it is not. The responsibilities of these people are great, because a mistake by such a person has very serious consequences. And at the same time, against these responsibilities, money is received that does not correspond to the work involved.
- Let's talk numbers. How much does an employee make?
- It's different for everyone. According to our data as of 2023, because we have made an analysis, the average salary in the company is BGN 1,578, for the transport sector it is BGN 1,676, and for the country the average salary is BGN 2,012. These are not sucked numbers, but facts. And here comes the big difference with the employees in the administration.
- How big is the difference?
- The top administration gets much bigger salaries. We are talking about a salary 5-6 times higher than the lowest salary in the company. We want to cut that scissor. We want small wages to jump more as a percentage and high wages to jump less. But this is not accepted by the management. This can be done within the framework of the "Salary" fund that we currently have. You just have to restructure things.
- A “light in the tunnel”, as they say, in conversations you see. Is there any chance of understanding…
- At the moment we are facing rejection, but, in the end, we are on our way. We know what to do from the unions. First a rally, then a strike is already being prepared. And the strike is a means to achieve goals. We are now seeking a negotiated solution to the issues. Otherwise, we are not afraid. We know what's happening and how it's happening. And other. The complicated situation is a consequence of the non-professional management of the exploitation processes by the DP NKŽI. This condition creates conditions and prerequisites for worsening and jeopardizing the safety of transportation. A vivid example is the current situation in the Sofia railway junction and the reactions provoked by it from customers, society and the media. This leads us to demand the resignation of the company's management due to incompetence and inadequate actions.