Tarom employees could go on strike on Nov. 14

All Tarom flights could be grounded on November 14 as Tarom employees are considering going on strike that day, Aurel Curdov the general secretary of Tarom’ National Technical Union told Agerpress.

Employees are discontent with the appointment of a new management team and with the way the airline is administered, he said. “We are gathering petition signatures and on November 12 we will have talks with the airline’s representatives. If our demands are not met we will go on strike on November 14, the same the day there will the general strike inEurope,” said Curdov.

Tarom is the first state-owned company in Romania for which private sector management was selected, following the government’s agreement with the IMF to appoint private managers for 10 state owned transport companies. Christian Edouard Heinzmann, a former president of Luxair, is the new CEO of Tarom. Also, Michael Moriaty was appointed CFO and deputy director.

Curdov stressed Tarom employees consider the board of administration’s decision to appoint the two foreign managers unjustified given that they have not previously presented a restructuring program for the company.

“This program was requested three months after the appointment. As long as we are talking about financial motivation, we believe Romanian managers could also perform. If the company wants to financially motivate its managers, the same should apply to the rest of the employees. Otherwise, we are talking about financial discrimination,” he explained.

Tarom employees also say the company’s decision to motivate registered losses by the fact that it operates three different types of airplanes is unjustified. Another issue is the fact that although some 60 percent of Tarom’s technical employees are expected to retire over the next couple of years, the management is doing nothing about the situation.

“At present pressure is put to allow competitor Blue Air access in the technical direction’s hangar, and this is happening now when the fight to win the maintenance market is fierce,” Curdov went on.