Romanian Subway Unionists To Organize Protests On Thursday

"The protest is organized as the collective labor contract will terminate on November 1, 2009 and the company's 2009 budget of revenues and expenses was not approved," the unionists said in a press release on Monday.

On October 13, subway unionists threatened to go on strike in November, demanding a pay raise of nearly 26% and calling for negotiations on a new collective labor contract, as the current contract expires on November 1.

Union leader Ion Radoi said at that time that he has been sending letters to the management of subway company Metrorex ever since August 25, urging for talks on a new collective labor contract. According to Radoi, the company's management said it is open to talks on a new collective labor contract, but not a salary raise, arguing the company's 2009 budget of revenues and expenses has yet to be approved.

According to Radoi, the company's management told unionists that the number of passengers has doubled in 2009, the frequency traffic of subway trains was reduced from five to three minutes, another four subway stations were put in use, which boosted productivity by 33%.

Radoi pointed out the company's 4,320 employees are insufficient, adding the company needs an additional 500 employees to cope with a daily passenger traffic of 650,000 people.

Subway employees' salaries currently range from 1,500 lei (EUR1=RON4.2877) to RON1600, plus bonuses for hard work conditions and night shifts.

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