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Some 60,000 Romanian Textile Industry Employees Might Lose Their Jobs – Employers

Twenty percent of the employees of the Romanian textile industry, some 60,000 people, could be fired this year, due to a lack of demand, Maria Grapini, the president of the textiles employers' association, said Tuesday in a press conference.
Some 60,000 Romanian Textile Industry Employees Might Lose Their Jobs - Employers
10 mart. 2009, 15:00, English

“The first months of this year are not at all encouraging for firms in the textile industry, as they are not working at full capacity and are seeking orders. Large factories will be reorganized, but small and medium-sized enterprises may be shut down, meaning about 20% of the employees may lose their jobs,” said Grapini, the president of the Textiles, Clothing and Leatherwork Employers’ Federation (FEPAIUS).

In 2008, most textile firms either closed down or got reorganized, and by December 62,000 people had been sacked, down to some 300,000 employees. Almost half of them used to work in the clothing industry. Grapini said that the textile industry faces the same challenges in the European Union, with 6% of the field’s workers having lost their jobs.

In 2008, the Romanian textile, clothing, leatherwork and shoe wear production dropped for the third consecutive year, by 6.2% to RON13.5 billion, from 2007’s RON14.4 billion. According to FEPAIUS data, the textile industry has been contracting annually by 6%-7% since 2005.

On Tuesday, FEPAIUS started the SEETAL program, financed by the European Union, which aims to promote textile, clothing, leatherwork and shoe wear production. The program has the support of EURATEX, the European textile industry organization, and similar institutions in Turkey, Croatia, Bulgaria and Belgium.