The administration of the state-run enterprise "Moldova’s Railways" (CFM) is aware of the need to identify financial resources to pay the outstanding salaries of employees, Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development Vladimir Bolea stated in the program "The Shadow Cabinet" on Jurnal TV channel. According to the official, one of the solutions is to sell old wagons and locomotives as scrap metal and to use the proceeds to pay salaries, IPN reports.
According to the head of the Railway Workers' Trade Union Federation Ion Zaporojan, the CFM employees have not received their salaries for six months and the arrears now total over 191 million lei. At present, the enterprise has 4,865 employees.
"They themselves know that they have to look for funds and pay the salaries. They seek to sell goods that are not used in technological processes. For example, they have 85 locomotives that are completely destroyed. They have wagons that are completely destroyed. I mean the scrap metal base is very good. They have a commission that deals with this at the Railways. The Ministry of Infrastructure does not participate. They set the selling prices. I told them that this auction must be an international on, because, if there are buyers from Turkey or Romania, they can accumulate more money," Vladimir Bolea explained in the program "The Shadow Cabinet" on JurnalTV.
He noted that during the next budget amendment in Parliament, a mechanism to subsidize the railway infrastructure in order to financially support the CFM and ensure its efficient functioning is to be introduced.
"A program to subsidize the railway infrastructure when the budget is rectified is being considered in Parliament. A method to subsidize the railways in the infrastructure sector will be provided," said Vladimir Bolea.
On February 14, CFM employees mounted a protest in the center of Chisinau. In the context of the financial difficulties faced by the enterprise, the railway workers ask the central authorities to urgently intervene to help overcome the crisis. Otherwise, the CFM employees threaten to stage new protests.
