Sofia's public transport workers gearing up for another protest over delayed pay rise

Public transport workers in Sofia are planning another protest in front of City Hall on Thursday (26 June), BNR reporter Evelina Stoyanova has reported.

The workers are demanding a monthly pay increase of €150, which has been delayed due to Mayor Vasil Terziev returning the city’s 2025 budget for revision. The economic framework for Sofia’s public transport system is also expected to be put to a vote again at the municipal council meeting on the same day.

At a briefing today, Mayor Terziev said, “I have a problem with the illegal blockades that come at the expense of Sofia residents, not with the protests themselves.”

• Government allocates €7.7 million to Sofia public transport in response to workers' protest

In May, a strike brought Sofia’s ground transport to a halt for several days. To help resolve the crisis, the national government allocated additional funds to Sofia Municipality. However, Mayor Terziev returned the budget and the economic framework for public transport in 2025, saying he could not allow public money to be spent “without control, logic, or legality,” according to BTA.