Nearly 350 workers are set to be laid off from the AES Maritsa East 1 thermal power plant in Galabovo. The American-owned facility is expected to cease operations within days. On 8 May, its long-term contract with the National Electricity Company for the purchase of electricity at prices that ensured its viability expires.
The redundancies are expected to begin on 1 June. Notices of lay offs are currently being served, and the mass layoff has already been registered with the Labour Office in Stara Zagora.
Georgi Gyokov, Director of the Labour Office in Stara Zagora, said: “We received notification from AES about the lay off of 350 people from two companies operating on the site. All services that the Labour Office can provide will be made available to these people.”
Expectations are that a large proportion of those affected will find new employment relatively quickly.
Mr Gyokov added: “They are generally highly qualified, and even now we are receiving calls from various employers in the Stara Zagora region, and beyond, expressing interest in hiring people released from there. These workers will not be left to cope with the situation on their own.”
In a statement to the media, AES Bulgaria management said that after the plant ceases operations it will be placed into conservation mode. This will be maintained by a limited number of staff to ensure the safety of the facilities and the preservation of technical infrastructure, with the aim of enabling a possible future resumption of operations.
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