Bulgarian Miners Protest Against Planned Pension Age Increase

Hundreds of miners protested on Friday in the town of Madan, in southern Bulgaria, against proposals to increase pension age, BNR radio reported.

The protest, organized by the KNSB and Podkrepa trade unions, targeted proposals by Labour and Social Policy Ministry experts to increase retirement age for metal ore and coal miners by 8-1/2 years as part of a much-delayed pension reform.

Currently Bulgarian miners can retire at the age of 45 years with at least 10 years of work in mines. In 2013 and 2014, the EU recommended to Bulgaria to gradually phase out early retirement options for several groups including miners, police and army officers in a  in a bid to narrow the nearly EUR 1B gap in the state pension fund.

The proposals, unveiled by caretaker Labour and Social Policy Minister Yordan Hristoskov, call for a further increase of pension age for miners to 57 years as of 2021, KNSB leader at Gorubso Madan metal mines Rumen Karov said.

"This is ridiculous. We won't let that happen," Karov said on BNR, explaining that the miners' profession is highly demanding.

Local Podkrepa union leader Maxim Bankov threatened that if the new Parliament that will convene for its inaugural session on October 27 decides to increase the current pension age for miners, they will launch protests in front of Parliament  building in Sofia.

It is up to the next government to decide whether to submit the proposed changes to Parliament for approval.