Spontaneous protest at the Făgăraş Powder Factory, due to insufficient budget allocation

The employees of the Făgăraş Powder Factory, the only manufacturer of high-power explosives and solid propellants in Romania, spontaneously protested yesterday, accusing this year's poor budget allocation, according to Radio Mureş. We mention that, according to a draft government decision initiated by the Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism, for the current year the core structure of the defense industry is established at 1436 employees for which the amount of 100 million lei is allocated.

The budget allocation for the year 2024 for the Făgăraş Powder Factory provides only half of the necessary salary fund, given that the 150 employees who protested yesterday did not even receive their salary for the month of December 2023. Among the grievances is also the lack of of communication with the management of Romarm, the company that patronizes this factory, given that the mandate of the current general manager expires at the end of January.

According to the cited source, the leader of the Nitramonia Rompiro union - Lucian Cupu - said: "We were informed, at the end of last week, that, at the Powder Factory, the budget is halved, which ensures us, for this year, half of the salary fund necessary to ensure wage rights. All the employees are dissatisfied, they have an uncertainty about their future, that of the company, especially since it is the only producer of powders and high-powered explosives in Romania. People work under the same conditions, nothing has been invested for now. This should be another discussion, vis-a-vis why it is happening and how we prepare, God forbid, for a possible Russian assault on us, what will we defend ourselves with? We can buy F16 planes, we can buy everything else, corvettes and so on, in order to be able to use them, we need something to throw and explode, which is only done in Făgăraş, and things are not exactly as we expect" .

He stated that, depending on the management's response, the employees are considering organizing a protest in Bucharest.

Regarding the situation at the Făgăraş Powder Factory, Constantin Bucuroiu, the president of the Defense and Aeronautical Industry Trade Union Alliance (ASIAA), told BURSA Newspaper: "People are innocent because for 15 years no one has helped them. We currently have two wars in the world, one of which is near us, the situation is serious for the near future, and we are standing with our hands outstretched so that the munitions factories take powder and explosives from Serbia. I think that the Government should, until the modernization of the factory in Făgăraş, ensure through a decision the budgetary remuneration of these people, who must maintain and guard the installations where all kinds of dangerous chemical substances have circulated over the years and which must ensure revisions, maintenance and prevent destruction and theft. Those employees come to work ready to resume core activities at any time, but they need pay predictability. Even if the union at the factory in Făgăraş is not a member of ASIAA (which counts 22 unions out of 23), that does not mean that we stand aside. People must be helped, supported, for the activity to go back to normal, because otherwise it would increase the risk of an explosion or a serious work accident, if the installations there are not well guarded and well maintained. Let's not forget that we are talking about a company producing powders and that it is about a high percentage of danger. But, despite all this, the biggest danger is that Romania does not have its own active powder producer at the moment and is leaning on a partner (ed. - Serbia) who can change direction at any time. Moreover, the respective supplier is speculating on the price, because, compared to the statements of the authorities, I consider that the price is not convenient at the moment when all the money goes out. If the respective powders had been produced in the country, 45%, if not even 50% of the price would have returned to the state budget".

Regarding the core structure of the state companies in the defense industry, the president of ASIAA states that it should have 2400-2500 employees and not just 1436 as established by the Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism.

We mention that, according to the normative act initiated by the Ministry of Economy, the economic operators benefiting from the 100 million lei allocated from the state budget are Compania Naţională Romarm SA - exclusively for its subsidiaries for a maximum average number of 1,085 employees, Romaero SA for 200 employees, Avioane Craiova SA - 60 employees, IOR - 75 employees, Mangalia Naval Shipyard SA - 8 employees and Uzina Mecanică Orăştie - 8 employees.