Another 1000 people from Prahova County will lose their jobs in the period to come. The sole producer of Diesel engine injection equipments from Romania, Mefin, located in Sinaia, and the oldest refinery from the county, Steaua Română, located in Câmpina, ceased their activity and shall dismiss, in the near future, almost 1000 employees.
In Sinaia, Mefin has already transmitted the notification regarding the collective dismissals which are to take place. Due to the poor financial results, 529 workers will be discharged by the 16th of May 2009. The people here are revolted and they accuse the management of ill intention, considering that, since the privatization, the American proprietors have actually hunted the land on which the factory is built. "They have done nothing here. In 2003 they promised that they would not change the object of activity of the factory and that no spaces or equipment would be rented or sold for a period of five years.
They have hot kept their word”, the employees complain. In their turn, the employees from Astra Română are decided to go on a hunger strike after the administration council decided the collective discharge of the entire personnel last week. In fact, the refinery ceased its activity on January 1st, and Petrom suspended the oil delivery around February 15th. The people have picketed outside the Government until March 4th, and, if no solution is found, they will start a hunger strike. In their opinion, it is sufficient that the Ministry of Finances free the sum of 10 million Euros for the VAT payment corresponding to the export from August 2007 to October 2008, in order to cope with the crises. Last, but not least, two thermo electric power stations are indebted to the refinery from Câmpina, having to pay the counter value of the black oil necessary to heat Iaşi and Oradea this winter.