Railway workers will go out on protests, starting February, to demand an immediate solution to the problem of salary arrears, which in 2024 amounted to over 190 million lei. Demonstrations will be organized in front of administrative buildings in Chisinau, as well as in all eight railway hubs in the country, IPN reports with reference to the National Confederation of Trade Unions of Moldova.
Ion Zaporojan, chairman of the Federation of Railway Workers’ Unions of the Republic of Moldova, said that the railroad workers have reached desperation, and the countless appeals, meetings, demands submitted to the state authorities have not been heard.
The union leader noted that the arrears of salaries for July-December 2024 amount to more than 190 million lei, and the state-owned enterprise “Moldovan Railways” is facing a series of problems that jeopardize the activity of the enterprise – accounts blocked for more than two months, lack of diesel oil and the most necessary for the proper functioning of the enterprise.
Ion Zaporojan added that the organization of protest actions was discussed at the December meeting of the Council of the trade union federation. The problems faced by the railroad workers were also brought to the attention of the parliamentary committee on economy, budget and finance.
“The workers have nothing to eat, nothing to pay their bills, to clothe and clothe their children. They have nothing to send their children to school. If by the end of January no concrete solutions will be found for the payment of salary arrears, starting next month we will organize protests all over the country”, said Ion Zaporojan.
The National Confederation of Trade Unions of Moldova recalls that the situation at the state-owned enterprise Moldovan Railways began to worsen after August 2022, when rail transit from Ukraine drastically decreased with the reopening of the Odessa port. The change has led to a decrease in the company’s revenues and, as a result, to increasing delays in the payment of employees’ salaries.