The exclusion of trade union confederations from the meeting dedicated to the SAFE programme, attended by representatives of the European Commission and DG DEFIS, reinforces the view that the EUR 16 billion loan under the programme is aimed at financing other economies rather than Romania's, effectively covering imports of military technology that will deepen the country's national security dependencies on its allies, trade union representatives said.
"Romania's representative trade union confederations note with concern that, in the context of the meeting organised by the Prime Minister's Chancellery on the SAFE programme, with the participation of representatives of the European Commission and DG DEFIS, the representative trade union confederations were not invited to the dialogue. The national defence industry does not consist only of economic operators and employers' organisations. It consists, first and foremost, of workers: specialists, engineers, technicians and skilled personnel who ensure the effective functioning of industrial capacities. Excluding employees' representatives from a strategic discussion on the future of the defence industry reflects an incomplete and unbalanced approach," reads a joint statement signed by the National Trade Union Confederation Cartel Alfa, the National Trade Union Bloc (BNS), the National Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Romania - Fratia, the Democratic Trade Union Confederation of Romania (CSDR) and the National Trade Union Confederation Meridian.
The five confederations warned that the future of the defence industry cannot be built without a clear workforce strategy. The sector is currently facing a major shortage of skilled staff, an ageing workforce and a lack of genuine investment in vocational training.
In the trade unions' view, the discourse on relaunching and modernising the defence industry risks masking longstanding structural problems, including managerial incompetence and corruption that have affected the sector for years. These vulnerabilities are reflected in the modest economic and industrial performance that remains in Romania, the statement says.
"The exclusion of trade union confederations from the dialogue table shows that this is merely about importing military technology, which will deepen Romania's national security dependencies on its allies. At the same time, it will widen the trade deficit and reinforce the view that this EUR 16 billion loan under the SAFE programme is intended to finance other economies rather than Romania's, while workers in the national defence industry and related sectors are deprived of real development opportunities, investment in domestic production capacities and the creation of stable and well-paid jobs," the trade unionists said.
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