8,000 Romanian workers protest at Renault-owned Dacia car plant
by The Associated Press
The workers are protesting a laundry list of grievances with the government, including import policies, poor infrastructure and health insurance
BUCHAREST, Romania—Thousands of employees at the French-owned Romanian automaker Dacia have protested to demand better infrastructure and more favourable labour laws.
The Automobile Dacia trade union said 8,000 gathered March 7 in the southern town of Mioveni, where Dacia, owned by Renault, has its manufacturing base. They demanded that a major highway be built through central Romania to create thousands of jobs.
Workers called for legislation to be changed to discourage the import of second-hand cars, which they say harms Romania’s automobile industry. Employees are also calling for better health insurance in their contracts.
Company officials say Dacia employees earn more than double the average monthly wage of 1,900 lei (US$470)
More than 90 per cent of the cars are exported. Managers said Dacia sold 550,000 cars in 2015.
