The employees of “LB Bulgaricum” EAD in the Production Base - Vidin protested in an effort not only to win normal working conditions and adequate remuneration, but also to protect the company from liquidation. They went on a three-day warning strike. By May 31, 2024, if they do not receive a positive answer and no negotiations are reached, they will proceed to actions following the law - protest rallies and effective strike actions.
Workers are demanding a 30% increase in basic wages. The requests are also for guarantees of compliance with all provisions of the labor legislation. This includes compliance with the schedules in the cumulative calculation of working hours, provision of specialized work clothing, etc. The workers are demanding safe working conditions, as well as active social dialogue and cooperation between the workers and the management of the enterprise, reported the trade union organization KNSB.
Executive director Ivaylo Lilov has been persistently and systematically destroying what has been built for decades for several months. First, on his own, he increased the prices of finished products by as much as 60%, as a result of which the turnover dropped three times - sales of about 20 tons per month for durable products, after the price increase, melted to only 6-7 tons per month. Against this background, the supply of raw milk has almost doubled. The accumulated quantities of durable products in all possible premises of the base amount to more than 188 tons. Even today, 11 tons are stored in a truck. With this intensity of sales, the danger of scrapping around 150 tons of products is very real. This will lead to a loss of BGN 3.5 million. Added to this reality is Lilov's complete refusal to communicate with the employees, as well as the complete ignoring of the trade unions' signals.
For his part, Lilov has several times threatened members of the KNSB that if they continue to insist on fulfilling their demands, he will close the base in Vidin. Currently, a 10% reduction of people in the Production base is being prepared under the pretext of reduced turnover. All this leads the workers to the question of whether coordinated actions are being taken for the gradual liquidation of the company. For them, the battle continues, and politicians should at least think about what is happening, because very soon the destructive processes in “LB Bulgaricum” EAD will be irreversible.