The Government approved that the monthly income for additional support granted to workers laid off from state-owned companies will be granted also for dismissed employees of Independent Company for Nuclear Activities (RAAN) Drobeta Turnu-Severin, a measure that, hypothetically, means redundancies can begin.

The company produces heavy water for nuclear power reactors in Cernavodă and heat and electricity for its own use and for those who live in the city of Drobeta Turnu-Severin. The unit hit insolvency last year, with debts of 680 million lei. During insolvency, the company has added 70 million lei of debt.

In April, Prime Minister Victor Ponta said it has ordered a review at the Department of Energy from which to determine the solutions for the persons to be dismissed from the RAAN, without mentioning the number of employees who would remain jobless or when this will happen. Local media reported that nearly 300 employees of the company will remain without work.

At that time, the approximately 2,700 employees of the two company’s platforms, Romag Prod and Romag Termo, were protesting for months claiming that wages are received late and halved. A large protest was held in Drobeta Turnu Severin on April 8 in front of the County’s local governmental representatives, attended by about a thousand RAAN employees, to draw attention to the difficult economic situation of the company, people fearing for their jobs.

Employees have complained that financial difficulties are caused primarily because of non-payment of heavy water by the Government since the second half of last year, its value amounting to 370 million lei.

In April, Minister for Energy, Răzvan Nicolescu, dismissed the special administrator of RAAN, Dănuţ Andrușcă, because he finds it “immoral to have a net monthly income of 20,000 lei while RAAN is in insolvency”, and sent the Control Corp to do further investigations.

Under the law, the persons laid off receive unemployment benefits, monthly additional income and severance payments granted in accordance with applicable labor contracts in each company.

The additional monthly income is established at the same with unemployment benefits and is equal with the difference between the net average individual salary in the last three months before the dismissal, based on the terms of the employment contract, but no more than average net wage in January of the year of redundancies, as announced by the National Institute of Statistics, and the level of unemployment benefit.

Supplementary income is paid monthly, on periods established according to seniority of dismissed workers under this ordinance, respectively for 12 months for those who have work experience ranging from 3 -10 years, 20 months for those who have work experience between 10 and 15 years, 22 months for employees who have seniority between 15 and 25 years and 24 months for employees who have a working experience of over 25 years.

Source

Mediafax