OBITUARY: Professor Krustyo Petkov
Professor Krustyo Petkov, a prominent Basic Income advocate in Bulgaria and the former Chairman of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions, passed away on the night of Friday, 23 December, after a painful illness.
In the past years the professor struggled with cancer but continued to work.
Krustyo Petkov Petkov is a Bulgarian scholar and politician, chairman of the United Labour block, founded in 1997. He was Chairman of Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria from 1990-1997.
He was also an MP from the parliamentary group of Coalition for Bulgaria in the 39th National Parliament.
Professor Petkov was born on 18 November 1943 in the village of Knyaz Aleksandrovo (now Dimovo). He graduated from the School of Irrigation in Pavlikeni and in 1968 graduated with a degree in “Political Economy” at the University of Economics “Karl Marx” – Sofia (now the University of National and World Economy).
In 1986, he defended his doctoral dissertation on the issue of labor relations and was appointed professor of sociology at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”.
Professor Petkov specialized in sociology, sociology of labor economics and social policy at the Academy of Sciences in Novosibirsk, the International Institute for Labour in Geneva, at the University of Economics and Political Science in England.
He has participated in university programs and seminars in the US, the University of Michigan, Berkeley, Duke and others.
Professor Petkov is renowned for advocating the idea of Basic Income in Bulgaria and beyond. Thanks to his active support, Bulgaria gathered 300% signatures above the quota for the European Citizen’s Initiative for Unconditional Basic Income from 2013 through 2014.
He helped a lot with his huge public and policy experience in creation of a modern political party, which included in its program the introduction of an Unconditional Basic Income in Bulgaria: the Bulgarian Union of Direct Democracy, BUDD.
He was a speaker at the meetings of Unconditional Basic Income Europe 2014 and 2015.
May he rest in peace!
Photos from “Почина проф. Кръстьо Петков – след тежко и мъчително боледуване” (epicenter.bg).
