FIVE DAYS UNTIL THE OPENING OF THE PRIVATIZATION BIDS The employees of "Oltchim" threaten with a new wave of protests, unless their wages are paid

Bogdan Hossu, the president of Cartel Alfa, announced yesterday in a press conference that on Monday, the employees of "Oltchim" will start a large scale protest at the plant's headquarters, if they do not get at least part of their outstanding salaries today, as they were promised by Liviu Pop, the delegated minister for Social Dialog.

"Promises are good, but you can't eat them", said Bogdan Hossu.

The event was also attended by Achille Duţu, the president of the Free Federation of Unions in the Chemical and Petrochemical Industry, and Mihai Diculoiu, the leader of the Free Oltchim Union.

The leader of Cartel Alfa said that the unionists will file a complaint with the secretary of state, Rodin Traicu, as well as against the Minister of the Economy, Daniel Chiţoiu, on September 24th, if the foreign administrator isn't appointed on September 21st, in order to allow the plant to resume operation.

Mihai Diculoiu does not rule picketing the Ministry of the Economy once again, after it happened on June 27th, 2012.

• Even though the authorities have announced that 13 tender books have been bought, the unionists are targeting PCC

The unionists consider that the people who entered a hunger strike at Oltchim, who are asking for the resignation of Mihai Diculoiu, have been mobilized by factions interested in driving away the potential investors which are interested in buying Oltchim, so that only PCC SE, the current minority shareholder of Oltchim, would be left as a potential buyer for the company.

The head of the OPSPI recently said that 13 tender books for the privatization of Oltchim have been acquired. The unionists are targeting German-Polish firm PCC.

Achille Duţu is saying: "Asking for the resignation of the union leader is a maneuver of the interest groups. I call upon my colleagues who went on hunger strike to end it. We will continue to fight for their rights".

Bogdan Hossu claims that, if PCC acquires the plant, it will slash output by 60%, as they are not interested in taking over Arpechim Piteşti, like the unionists are requesting.

The leader of Cartel Alfa argued that this will happen because PCC has another plant in Poland, which is interested in serving the European and international markets, for which Olchim would be a competitor.

Mihai Diculoiu said that, based on the talks they had with the representatives of PCC, the minority shareholder only intends to keep two or three installations of Oltchim functional, to ensure 40% of the output, thus preventing it from competing with the Polish plant.

Bogdan Hossu considers that it would have been far more important for the authorities to allow the conversion into equity of the debt of Olchim towards the AVAS and to ensure the preservation of the jobs of the 3,400 employees of the plant.

If PCC acquires Oltchim, only 1,000 - 1,200 people will remain employed at the plant, said Mihai Diculoiu.

Aside from the staff which would be laid off from Oltchim, 7,000 more people who depend on that plant would also lose their jobs, said Bogdan Hossu, who thinks that, six months from now, "we will see nothing but barren land where Oltchim used to be", once the investor cuts the machinery to pieces and sells it as scrap.

• Cernev, of the Unirea union: The employees of Oltchim have already received 30% of their July wage settlement

All of the employees of Oltchim have already received 30% of the outstanding after-payment for the month of July, with the remaining 70% to be received by September 21st at the latest, said Corneliu Cernev, the president of the "Unirea" union of the plant and leader of the recent protests.

At the end of the meeting with delegated minister for Social Dialog, Liviu Pop, and with the management of the plant, Corneliu Cernev, the president of the "Unirea" union of Oltchim and the leader of the protests of the last few days, who the employees want as a replacement for union leader Mihai Diculoiu at the "Oltchim" union, said that the employees were already paid 30% of the second tranche of their salaries, and the remaining 70% would be paid by September 21st, at the latest.

The leader of the protesters went on to say that they will meet with the government on Monday, to discuss the amount that Oltchim needs to resume its operations, a portion of which will be used for paying the wages of its employees.

Cernev said: "There is no money for the month of August, everything that is earned from now on will be directed towards the payment of August's wages. The advance payment and the after-payment for the month of August, as well as meal vouchers and holiday leave, will be paid based on the amount which will be allocated by the government. I will get an answer on Monday, when I will meet the minister at the Government headquarters (ed. note. - Daniel Chiţoiu, the minister of the economy) and I will know the exact amount allocated for paying the wages and restarting the installations. Later, the allocation of that amount for paying wages and resuming operation will be renegotiated between the representatives of the employees and the management of the plant. By Monday, September 17th, minister Chiţoiu and delegated minister Liviu Pop will have an answer on the subject of the financing".

The delegated minister for Social Dialog, Liviu Pop, yesterday urged the employees of Oltchim Râmnicu Vâlcea who protested in the yard of the plant not to turn "an economic matter into a union issue" and to show "patience and strength". Minister Pop said he hopes that the privatization of the plant will be successful.