Hail Suppression Agency Workers Protest over Pay and Conditions

Employees of the Hail Suppression Agency from the Plovdiv, Stara Zagora and Haskovo regions staged a protest on April 1. They gathered in front of the command centre in the village of Golyam Chardak, calling for higher wages and better working conditions. The protesters warned that if their demands are not met, the start of the hail suppression season could be at risk.

Dozens of staff from rocket launching sites gathered this morning outside the command post near the village of Golyam Chardak in Plovdiv district. They are demanding a 50% increase in salaries, which currently stand at under €500.

Asen Merdzhanov, a rocket operator at the command post in the village of Golyam Chardak: “The salary is comparable to almost low-skilled labour. Our work is risky, and we cannot be paid such a low wage.”

Lyubomir Goshev, a rocket operator at the command post in the village of Popovitsa: “Is it possible to live on this money, to travel to work using your own transport, to bring your own food and to stay there?”

For this purpose, the state would need to allocate €3.5 million.

Valentina Vasilyonova, Chair of the Federation of Agricultural Trade Unions at the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria: “In July we had signed an agreement with the previous Minister of Agriculture to increase the salaries of the staff in the Executive Agency ‘Hail Suppression’, which was in some way reflected in the 2026 budget version we saw in December, but it did not materialise. There should have been a 20% increase.”

There are 11 hail suppression sites across the country. Working conditions at many of them are poor. In some of the units, there is no electricity or water.

Lyubomir Goshev, an employee at the post in the village of Popovitsa: “Every time we go to work, we carry at least 5–10 litres of water so that we can get through a shift – whether to wash dishes or for the toilet.”

Asen Merdzhanov, a rocket operator at the post in the village of Golyam Chardak: “At rocket sites where we do not have a power supply and rely only on panels, we have no cooling, no air conditioning, no refrigerator.”

Farmers from the village of Brestovitsa have also expressed support for the workers in the sector.

Asen Shopov, an agricultural producer: “Since the rocket launching site was opened, we have not seen hail, whereas before there were damages every year.”

photos by BTA

The employees said they are ready to move to full strike action if their demands are not met.