ROMARM HAS PAID SOME OF THE OUTSTANDING WAGES The unionists of the Gunpowder Plant of Făgăraş have stopped the protests until June 27th

The unionists of the Făgăraş Gunpowder Plant have stopped their protests, after Romarm paid some of the outstanding amounts to the employees of the plant.

"We succeeded in getting paid the money we were paid in court", said Dorel Drăgan, the leader of the unionists in the company. So far, they have succeeded in getting back the outstanding wages for the months of July 2010 and June 2011 (partially).

"Out of the resources of the plant, the payment of salary advances was made for the months of April, May and June, but that money was diverted away from other expenses", Dorel Drăgan explained.

Still, the "truce" will expire on June 27th, the date by which the government promised, through the Minister of the Economy, Daniel Chiţoiu, to complete the final version of a Government Decision which would allow the payment the wages of the company's employees in the defense sector, as they are not working due to the lack of orders, guarding and maintaining the machinery instead. According to sources from the government, their salaries will only be paid only if the activity of those employees is "inseparable" from the weapons manufacturing or trade. "If by June 27th, that government decision isn't amended, they can do whatever they want with the plant, because we'll be leaving", the union leader said.

The amendment will be introduced in an emergency ordinance intended to cut public spending and which is justified through the need to comply with the Treaty for the Functioning of the European Union in the area of state aids.

The invoked treaty provides that any member state can take the measures it deems necessary to protect the essential interests of its safety which concern the manufacturing or trading of weapons, ammunition, or war gear, but that such measures should not change the competition circumstances on the domestic market for products which "are not intended for specifically military purposes".

The legislation in effect stipulates that the employees which have indefinite duration employment contracts with companies in the defense industry, but who are not working due to the companies' lack of orders or contracts will be conducting maintenance, preservation, repairs, guard and administrative activities, and their monthly wages will be paid out of the funds of the state budget.

However, this system will need to be changed by the government, which will decide that during the time where they are paid from the state budget, the employees may only conduct "activities which are inseparably tied to weapons, ammunition or war gear manufacturing or trading. The activities in question will be set through a government decision.