Today, the President of FTTU, Eng. Aleksandar Shopov, took part in a meeting of the Committee on Transport in the National Assembly, which considered the draft Public Transport Act on second reading. The discussions focused on concrete texts and proposals of material importance for the development and regulation of the sector.

Federation of Transport Trade Unions (FTTU) in advance submitted reasoned proposals on the draft law to the Committee's Chairman. We express our gratitude that these proposals were taken into account and put up for discussion during the meeting. A significant part of them received support from the MPs and were reflected in the final texts, which is an important step towards improving regulation, transparency, and efficiency in public transport.

Among the adopted proposals are key texts related to the introduction of a definition for transport poverty – an important tool for policy development to support vulnerable groups. In the "Principles" section of the law, proposals of FTTU were also adopted, aimed at:

* protecting the social rights of workers and employees in public transport;

* ensuring decent working conditions in the provision of public services;

* guaranteeing accessible mobility;

* limiting transport poverty by ensuring access to public transport for all groups of the population.

These texts establish an important regulatory basis for a socially responsible development of the sector and place people and the public interest at the center of transport policies.

During the meeting, a number of key issues were reviewed and discussed, related to the organization, financing, and control of public transport, as well as the need to increase the quality and accessibility of services for citizens.

Despite the progress made, the MPs did not support the proposal of FTTU to introduce a new "Art. 37a". It envisaged the mandatory inclusion of social criteria when awarding passenger transport public service contracts, including:

* compliance with labor and social legislation;

* guaranteeing fair working conditions and remuneration;

* application of collective bargaining agreements;

* effective control and the possibility of sanctions in case of non-compliance.

The omission of this text from the final version of the law is a serious gap. This decision reflects the influence of certain economic interests that do not place sufficient emphasis on protecting the workers in the sector.

The absence of clear and mandatory social criteria when awarding public service contracts creates a risk of deteriorating working conditions and undermining social standards. This, in turn, could have a negative impact on the sustainable development of public transport and the quality of the services provided. The draft law is yet to be submitted for consideration and voting in the plenary hall, where the MPs will have the opportunity to make a final decision.

FTTU will continue to stand by its positions in defense of the workers and for the development of fair, sustainable, and accessible public transport.