Bulgarian teachers end 6-week strike

SOFIA, Bulgaria, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- A union leader said teachers in Bulgaria’s state-run schools ended a six-week strike Monday after reaching a compromise that includes a 46 percent pay raise.

Teachers' union leader Krum Krumov said the government of Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev couldn't agree on a 100-percent salary hike demanded by striking teachers as that much money wouldn't be available in the state budget next year, the Bulgarian News Network reported Monday.

Krumov said the teachers accepted the 46 percent monthly salary hike that should be reached by mid-2008.

With teachers back to their classes, union leaders planned to continue talks with parliamentary officials specializing in finance and education to see if there are possibilities for additional pay increases, Krumov said.

An average monthly salary of Bulgarian teachers was about $320 before the strike.