[size=55:33iyaybc]novinite 01 October 2010

Sofia Braces for Doctors, Workers' Protest

Workers from Bulgarian manufacturing industries are expected to join forces with doctors and medical staff in a national protest rally in Sofia on October 7, 2010.

About 20 000 workers from the processing industry will rally in Sofia against the government's intentions for pension reform, announced the deputy head of the Confederation of Independent Bulgarian Syndicates (KNSB), Plamen Dimitrov.

The trade unions are firmly against the adoption of the current draft pension reform law, which will be raising the minimum retirement age, among other unpopular provisions.

The workers' protest rally is supposed to merge with the planned national protest on October 7, announced last week by the Bulgarian Doctors' Union.

The medics will be protesting against the cuts of state financing for the health care, and the generally unclear reform situation in the sector.

They have refused to call off their protest even as Health Minister Anna-Maria Borisova resigned on Wednesday, and was replaced on Thursday by the Deputy Chair of their Doctors' Union, Stefan Konstantinov.

Earlier this week, Bulgarian Prime Minister Borisov said he would resign if a wave of strikes and protests emerged in the country;
in his words, such a development would be unfair because the government has managed not to raise taxes and reduces salaries despite the economic crisis.



Interesting reading thanks for update Guess there is always someone else to step in when someone resigns - cannot see a resignation making much of a difference here

Oddy

Well, let's hope Borisov keeps his word and does resign - the scale of his mismanagement almost defies description. Can't say I have ever heard of doctors going on hunger strike in an EC country because of conditions in hospitals before. Can't say I have ever heard of hospitals using supplies reserved for major disasters or wars before in any EC country. Can't say I have ever heard of hospitals being so much in debt that they already "
belong"
to private companies in an EC country. Can't say I have ever seen such a mass exodus of doctors and medical personnel from an EC country because of conditions in the medical sector before.

Yes, we have all this and much, much more under Borisov.