Railway Workers In NE Romania Resume Work After Halting 15 Passenger Trains

Local railway manager Sorin Flutur said employees were persuaded to go back to work after they were promised they would get their wages Tuesday afternoon.

Flutur also said the company will give passengers their money back for tickets if they so require.

Railway employees in Iasi staged a spontaneous protest Tuesday morning, that lasted for over four hours, and stopped 15 passenger trains and two freight trains in stations in the county, upset that they had not received their wages for August.

Hundreds of passengers, mostly commuters, had to find other means of transportation to get to work.

Romania’s state-owned railway company CFR SA said Tuesday morning it informed railway unions last week that wages might be paid late, but also told them efforts were being made to make the payments on time.

Union leaders with the Iasi division of the railway company said they have nothing to do with the protest Tuesday and the strike was spontaneous.

Transport Ministry sub-secretary of state Constantin Axinia said Tuesday protesters in Iasi would be fired.

„Stopping traffic is very serious. We will fire them. They don’t realize what losses their action entails,” Axinia told MEDIAFAX, adding all railway workers will receive their wages by Tuesday at noon.