Today, another working meeting was held between the management of "Metropolitan" EAD and the representatives of the Federation of Transport Trade Unions – the chairman of FTTU Eng. Alexander Shopov and the chairman of the trade union organization Svetoslav Iliev.

During the meeting, the parties continued discussing the new annexes to the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The main focus was on the bonus system, the categorization of workplaces, and expanding the scope of employees entitled to glasses for video display work.

On Annex No. 3, agreement has not yet been reached on a number of key issues. Among them remains the methodology for determining the categories for mechanics, on which the positions of the parties continue to diverge.

As a result of the dissatisfaction expressed by workers gathered in front of the company's management office, a positive result was achieved – the employer accepted that the already agreed categories and benefits would not be reduced. This is an important step toward preserving the already negotiated rights of the employees.

Significant differences also remain regarding the method for determining busy ticket offices. FTTU's position is that workload should be determined by two objective indicators – the number of sold transport documents and actual passenger flow, while the employer insists that the sale of transport documents should be the sole criterion. In our view, only a combined approach can provide a realistic assessment of the workplace workload.

Discussions also continue on expanding the scope of positions eligible for video display work glasses. The discussions now include experts (OTITS), mechanical engineers, mechanical technicians, railway defectoscope operators, metro station chiefs, surveyors, organizers (KI), as well as all ticket cashiers. FTTU consistently insists that all workers who actually perform video display work be placed on an equal footing.

The issue of including additional groups of workers in the bonus system also remains unresolved. Unfortunately, at present, the company's management does not support expanding its scope due to a lack of financial resources, despite the fact that these specific categories of workers were also excluded from the previous Collective Bargaining Agreement.

In view of the significance of the discussed changes, the FTTU trade union organization at "Metropolitan" EAD will hold consultations with its members before making a final decision on the disputed texts. For us, it is crucial that the final position reflects the opinion of the people who perform the work daily and who will be directly affected by the new rules.

The next working meeting is scheduled for August 4, 2026.