Bulgarian coal miners demand job security, fear changes
ABC News
Hundreds of Bulgarian coal miners and energy workers are protesting to demand government guarantees for their jobs amid bids by the European Union to close mines and reduce carbon emissions
SOFIA, Bulgaria -- Hundreds of Bulgarian coal miners and energy workers staged a protest on Wednesday to demand government guarantees for their jobs amid bids by the European Union to close mines and reduce carbon emissions.
Buses carried protesters from across Bulgaria for the rally in downtown Sofia, where demonstrators chanted “We want jobs!” as they marched to the government headquarters.
Bulgarian miners say the EU’s time frame for closing coal mining and coal extraction is too short and argue it shouldn't come at the expense of the bloc’s poorest and most carbon-dependent regions.
The organizers of the protest — the country's two largest trade unions — said they were defending Bulgaria's energy independence and warned that tens of thousands of jobs are at risk should the biggest coal mines and energy plants in southeastern Bulgaria close.
