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Nearly Half The Employees Of Romanian Porcelain Mkr ARPO On Strike

Some two hundred employees of porcelain maker ARPO in Curtea de Arges, southern Romania, refused to start work Tuesday morning and protest in the company yard discontent with salaries and working conditions.
27 mai 2008, 11:14, English

General manger Ana Balsanu said employees are demanding to talk to the company management and owners.

Employees said they feel betrayed by the union leader, whom they accused of not representing their interests. Workers also complained they received lower salaries and working conditions are completely inadequate. Employees said they received net salaries ranging from 280 lei (EUR1=RON3.6698) to RON350 over the past two months, namely 64% of their rightful monthly pay. Moreover, they said they did not6 receive food vouchers, which are stipulated in their collective work contract.

"I’m waiting for the owner to come here and talk to the protesters. They booed me and refused to talk to me,” Balsanu said.

ARPO was founded in 1974 and is one of Romania’s largest porcelain makers. The company employs 400 people. The company’s RON15.06 million share capital is fully owned by several individual holders.