May 14 will be a non-school day in Sofia. This was announced by the mayor of the capital, Vasil Terziev, at a press conference. As a reason, he pointed out the uncertainty about the duration and scope of the strike of workers in land transport. At the moment it is clear that it will start at 4.00 in the morning and will last at least until 12.00 at noon.
Terziev explained that if there is no escalation, there is a chance that cars will come out to fulfill their orders, but the request at the moment is to have blockades at the entrances to the depots again.
The mayor of Sofia stressed that he respects the right to protest, but must show a responsible attitude towards all key systems in the city.
"This money is not there and it is not acceptable for us to cut the capital program and increase current expenses. We have always appealed that when there are limited funds, they should be where the problems are, and not equally for everyone," said Vasil Terziev and added that one of the key reasons for drivers to leave is the rolling stock and working conditions.
"We cannot promise something that we will not fulfill. We are having an honest conversation about what is possible. The state needs to support this sector. This is not a problem only for Sofia. We want an attitude from the Ministry of Finance. We have proposed an increase of 100 leva because that is what we can afford," said the mayor of the capital.