Some 6,000 Romanian Railway Workers Protested In Bucharest Over Restructuring Plan

The railroad workers protested for two hours, between 10:30 and 12:30, in front of the Ministry of Transport. Later they marched towards the Government headquarters, where they filed a memo.

The protests were attended by some 6,000 people, who were on their day off, and the action did not disturb railway traffic.

The president of the Miscare –Comercial Federation, Gheorghe Popa, said Constantin Axinia, deputy secretary of state within the Ministry of Transport, "made a mistake" when he organized, the day before, a press conference without having invited the unionists for talks. "He should have called us (Tuesday) for talks, to tell us about the solution to retire 3,700 railroad employees, a proposition that we have put on the table, not the Ministry of Transport. Had they called us and had we signed a protocol in this respect, we wouldn’t have taken to the streets today," Popa said.

The unionists said the only solution to save the National Railroad Company CFR and to maintain jobs is to take to the streets and even call a strike.

Cartel Alfa union vice president Liviu Apostoiu said he backs the rally organized by the railroad workers, an action that represents a first step, since Cartel Alfa will organize, within approximately one month a large rally in Bucharest, where railroad workers are expected.

Ministry officials on Tuesday said they are “surprised” that railway employees plan to stage protests and stressed the ministry sent the railway company CFR variants to render its activity more efficient, not a plan to scrap 12,000 jobs.

The Transport Ministry denies having sent unions a restructuring program that entails the layoff of over 12,000 people. The ministry proposed that all employees be kept, but with lower salaries, by eliminating or lowering certain bonuses or that some employees be fired and the salaries of those remaining increased.

Sub-secretary of state in the Transport Ministry Constantin Axinia said during a press conference Tuesday that he is “surprised” that, after months of talks with unionists, no solution has been reached and railway employees will rally Wednesday to protests against plans to have 12,000 people fired.

"We never imposed this number on unionists. We’ve only talked about people of retirement age who should leave the railway company. There are 3,494 employees nearing retirement age and 287 of retirement age,” Axinia said.

The official said unionists were asked to get people nearing retirement age to retire and were told a new analysis of the budget would be made afterwards and “layoffs would continue if necessary". He added unionists replied they can’t do anything and can’t make people leave.

The restructuring program sent by the Transport Ministry to unionists within CFR on March 20 stipulated the cutting of 12,139 staff in the entire railway system. Unionists and officials of the ministry had several rounds of negotiations since, but failed to reach common ground.