FTTU held a meeting with the mayor of Sofia city.

On 23.02.2026, the chairman of FTTU, Eng. Aleksandar Shopov, held a meeting with the mayor of Sofia Municipality, Vasil Terziev, and the deputy mayor for transport, Viktor Chaushov. Also present were the chairpersons of the trade union organizations of FTTU in the companies of the urban transport.

On behalf of the federation, Eng. Shopov clearly and categorically presented the following demands:
- an increase in the basic salaries of all employees in urban transport;
- priority treatment of deficit professions;
- signing a two-year agreement with the mayor of Sofia, which will provide predictability and security for the employees;
- provision of targeted funds for improving working conditions, with the unions directly participating in their distribution;
- provision of new mobile assets and spare parts;
- provision of new service machines for "Transenergo";
- a clear position and guarantees for the future of the companies and prevention of concessions in any form.

FTTU will request from the Sofia Municipality and the management of the companies to provide detailed financial calculations. These calculations are necessary for the federation to argue for specific amounts both for the increase of basic wages and for the improvement of working conditions in all four transport companies.

The deputy mayor, Viktor Chaushov, stated that he does not support the concession of the automobile transport activity. According to Eng. Shopov, this position is important but does not correspond with publicly shared intentions to service the new trams "entirely by the manufacturer," with employees being relocated "where needed," without clear criteria and guarantees for their jobs and professional development.

According to the chairman of FTTU, such an approach raises reasonable concerns about hidden or indirect concession of activities, where management and control of key processes are gradually transferred outside the municipal companies under the pretext of efficiency.

FTTU categorically declares that it will not allow municipal transport to be privatized "through the back door," through separate contracts or models that practically take away functions from public companies. The dialogue with institutions should lead to clear public benefits, not to an opaque transfer of control that threatens job security, working conditions, and the quality of service for citizens.

During the meeting, Mayor Vasil Terziev pointed out that due to the limited budget currently, he cannot commit to specific financial engagements. The chairman of FTTU emphasized that the employees in the urban transport fulfill their duties responsibly and without delay and expect the same attitude from institutions. The sector is strategic for the functioning of the capital and requires timely and sustainable solutions.

FTTU and CITUB not only present demands but also offer specific solutions. The federation has insisted on signing a 3-year agreement with specific steps for the phased improvement of wages, improvement of working conditions, and over 20 specific measures for the overall stabilization and development of the urban transport system.

Meetings have been held with parliamentary groups and the Ministry of Finance to ensure stable and predictable financing of the system. Specific financial and organizational proposals have been presented. FTTU has also proposed joint meetings between municipalities and the Ministry of Finance to develop a sustainable financing model – an initiative supported by the mayors of Ruse and Varna.
In recent years, FTTU and CITUB conducted a series of protest actions in defense of incomes, working conditions, and the future of public transport. As an example of public tension, we can point to the dissatisfaction in Plovdiv against the model of assigning transport to private operators, presented as "more efficient" and "better," but meeting serious public reaction. According to FTTU, this indicates that replacing a municipal operator with a private one does not automatically lead to better quality, greater sustainability, or better protection for workers. Experience shows that with a private operator, problems do not disappear but often deepen when there are no clear rules, control, and social guarantees.

FTTU declares that it will continue to defend the rights of workers and insist on specific deadlines and solutions. In the absence of real actions by institutions, the federation is ready to again support its members in protest actions in defense of their rights and dignity.