PROTESTS AGAINST THE CUTS IN THE BULGARIAN RAILWAYS

With the beginning of the year the minister of transport from the right liberal government 
in Bulgaria decided to get into his role of ?reformer?. His reformative abilities he 
practised on the one of the last state enterprises ? The Bulgarian railways (BDZ). His 
reformation consisted of winding-up 140 lines which is nearly 1/3 of all lines. 
Immediately after he announced his plan for ?healing by destroying? the railways, what 
resulted was a mass movement of protests throughout many Bulgarian cities and towns. The 
committee of transport and the ministry held an extraordinary meeting and managed to 
withdraw their previous decision only one day before the date of the protests. Their aim 
was to avoid mass demonstrations. ---- In their attempt to prevent protests they felt 
short on the goal. Protests took part in the big cities and in the towns with key rail 
stations. People?s demands were not only to stop the reduction of both trains and 
workforce, but also against the privatization and complete restructuring in BDZ.

The protest in Varna was organised by Autonomous Workers? Union. The members stated that 
they don?t approve of the privatization and came up with a program for reorganization of 
BDZ in favor of the workers and the passengers. They suggested that the railway?s 
management must not put people in charge who participate in political parties like how the 
system is currently being run. It?s the people who work for the railways that must be 
given the right to elect a leader of their choice. The creation of the long-term plan for 
the development of BDZ must be done by workers? organizations in the structures of BDZ and 
consumers? associations, which must be gathered and organized on the principle of direct 
democracy. The workers? organizations themselves can?t involve bureaucratic syndicates due 
to their hierarchical structure. Therefore new autonomous sections of the workers must be 
created and they must be entirely under the control of the workers and all decisions must 
be made at group meetings.

After the protest a round table was held in which passengers, workers and representatives 
of the Autonomous Workers? Union took part where they all agreed that the demonstrations 
must continue every Saturday. Meanwhile they will keep working together on the program of 
complete reorganization of BDZ in favor of the labourers and the consumers.

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"The ?Balkan Information Bulletin? (B.I.B.) is a project by activists across the Balkan 
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