Type
Internal restructuring
Country
Bulgaria
Region
Yuzhna Bulgaria; Yugozapaden; Sofia
Location of affected unit(s)
NA
Sector
Information / Communication
Information Communication Services
Telecommunications
61 - Telecommunications

5,000 jobs
Number of planned job losses
Job loss
350 jobs
Number of planned job creations
Job creation
Announcement Date
13 January 2006
Employment effect (start)
Foreseen end date
31 December 2005

Description

On 13 January 2006 , the vice-prime minister and Minister of foreign affairs Ivailo Kalfin announced in the parliament that around 5,000 workers were laid off by the new owner of Bulgarian Telecommunication Company (BTC) Viva Venchers. Mr Kalfin based his speech on published data from the Post privatisation control agency. In September 2005 trade unionists of Confederation of the Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) in BTC had announced that a 'secret' annex to the privatisation agreement for Bulgarian Telecommunication Company (BTC) would cause the lay off of 5,000 persons by December 2005. ‘The first step foresees the dismissals of 600 employees from the company's call-centres. The new owners of BTC have already decreased the number of those centres from 22 to 11 and are now planning to close more of them’, said the unions. Around 9,000 persons were hired from BTC after its privatisation from the American Viva Venchers in 2004, said the trade unions. From about 24,000 employees in 2004 not more than 18,000 are working there now.


Sources

Citation

Eurofound (2006), Bulgarian Telecommunication Company (BTC), Internal restructuring in Bulgaria, factsheet number 62311, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/62311.