Local trade union leaders of the Federation “Agroindsind” accuse the Federation’s administration of using trade union money for personal purposes. They called on the members of the organization not to reelect the current administration in the next congress as this is under investigation.
In a news conference at IPN, chairman of the Ungheni Local Union “Agroindsind” Rodica Lupu said the current administration of the Federation started to take revenge on the inconvenient members who began to put questions about the management of the Federation’s money. A number of local trade union leaders requested the National Anticorruption Center to verify the information from anonymous letters about the appropriation committed by the administration of “Agroindsind”. “As a result, a criminal case was started against the Federation’s administration and hidden accounts used to satisfy the personal needs of the Federation’s president Sergiu Bernevec and vice president Sergiu Bota were identified within the investigation,” stated Rodica Lupu.
Tatiana Kolomoitseva, ex-head of the Education Department of “Agroindsind”, said Bernevec and Bota use the Federation’s bank cards in hotels in Romania’s Iasi during periods when the Federation does not have planned seminars or trips in this town. The cards are also used to pay in casinos. On the pretext of paying travel and other kinds of expenses, about half a million lei was withdrawn from the Federation’s accounts.
Head of the Sangerei Local Union “Agroindsind” Tudor Mocanu said that after Bernevec was elected as manager of “Agroindsind”, no meeting in extended format with the heads of local unions has been held since 2007, as if the agricultural sector does not face problems that should be discussed. He noted Bernevec came to lead the trade union movement in order to destroy it.
The trade union leaders also said that the district unions decided to give a vote of no-confidence to the current administration and about 14% of all the members asked that Sergiu Bernevec should be dismissed. They expressed their dissatisfaction with the fact that the list of delegations that will take part in the congress of the Federation “Agroindsind” in the near future does not include those who have a critical attitude, who are against the administration. The trade union leaders call on the delegations to ask for an independent internal audit and to vote for the suspension of the current administration and name new managers on an interim basis.
