The 'Drum de Fier' Union Alliance - ELCATEL is calling on Romania's political leadership to urgently unblock budgetary financing for railway company CFR SA, warning that the national rail infrastructure is on the brink of a crisis with major economic, social, and strategic consequences.
In an open letter to the prime minister, the acting Transport minister, MPs, and political parties, the union says the situation has escalated beyond administrative delay and now threatens the functioning of the entire railway system.
The union argues that CFR SA - the state company managing rail infrastructure - is a strategic operator whose financing underpins the safety and continuity of both passenger and freight transport. Without immediate intervention, they say, the system could face cascading failures, from unpaid salaries to compromised traffic safety, according to Agerpres.
In the letter, union leaders stress that the issue is not a routine administrative holdup: "We are talking about the functioning of rail infrastructure, about traffic safety, about the jobs of CFR SA employees, and ultimately about Romania's economic and strategic security."
The conflict stems from the government's inability to approve two key documents: the 2026 - 2030 Rail Infrastructure Development Strategy and the 2026 - 2030 Activity and Performance Contract, because the Ministry of Justice refused to endorse the necessary government decisions, arguing that Romania currently lacks a fully empowered government capable of adopting such measures.
Despite the stalled approvals, existing legislation provides a mechanism to ensure continuity of funding, the unionists argue, pointing to article 251(7) of OUG 12/1998 which stipulates that in the first six months after a contract expires, the state must continue transferring funds to the rail infrastructure administrator within the limits approved by the state budget, regardless of the contract's approval status.
ELCATEL says this safeguard is being ignored due to a restrictive and legally unfounded interpretation that contradicts principles of legislative clarity and predictability. The result, they note, is an "absurd and dangerous" situation: the suspension of state funding for CFR SA.
The union warns that this violates not only the budget law but also the state's legal obligation to fund the infrastructure administrator under Law 202/2016, which transposes EU Directive 2012/34.
The union outlines a series of consequences if the funding blockade continues: unpaid salaries for CFR SA employees who work in difficult conditions to keep the network running; labour conflicts and strikes, including possible shutdowns; severe risks to traffic safety, due to lack of resources for maintenance and operations; disruptions to passenger transport, especially during peak season; impact on freight transport, including grain, petroleum, and energy shipments; strategic vulnerabilities, given Romania's proximity to an active armed conflict and the rail network's role in national security.
Union leaders say CFR SA employees cannot be expected to bear the consequences of an administrative decision they did not cause: "Railways cannot function 'on debt', and traffic safety cannot be ensured with promises."
They argue that the Ministry of Justice's position - that the strategy and contract cannot be approved until a fully empowered government is installed - makes political intervention urgent. The union calls for the elimination of article 251(7) of OUG 12/1998, which they say has been interpreted in a way that triggered the current financial blockade.
ELCATEL says the situation has reached a point where "delays, institutional back-and-forth, and bureaucratic interpretations" are no longer acceptable. With Romania facing economic and energy pressures and supply challenges for fuel production, the union argues that rail infrastructure must be protected, not destabilized.
They point out that blocking CFR SA's funding effectively means blocking the national rail infrastructure, with consequences for safety, passenger and freight transport, the national economy, and strategic security.
The union also says railway organizations will not remain passive, and that CFR SA employees will not accept paying the price for political or administrative decisions. If no urgent solution is found, unions will resort to all legal forms of industrial action, including large-scale protests and public demonstrations.
Responsibility for any escalation, they say, lies with those who have the power to intervene but choose not to.
ELCATEL concludes with a direct appeal: "We request total, urgent, and politically assumed involvement to unblock CFR SA's financing and prevent the rail system from entering a crisis with major economic, social, and strategic consequences."
Railways, they emphasize, are not an optional expense: "Rail transport is strategic infrastructure, safety, economy, and an essential public service."
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