National Union Trade Seminar at Vatra Dornei

The first national seminar of the railway union trades was organised at Vatra Dornei, between October 30 - November 3, 2000, on the initiative of the International Railway Federation of Transportation (ITF) and of the National Federation Iron Way. 75 leaders of union trades participated at this event, as well as representatives of the following federations: Iron Way National Federation affiliated at ITF, Wagons Federation, ELCATEL Federation and Commercial Movement Federation.
The International Railway Federation of Transportation (ITF) has more than 5 millions members from more than 150 countries, and it is one of the 12th secretariats affiliated to the International Confederation of the Free Union Trades. The purpose of this organisation is that of promoting and protecting the rights of the federations and of the union trades, in a word, the rights of the workers. ITF has eight sections, among which, that of the railway transportation representing the majority branch, meaning 31% of the total members of union trades.
Sessions at the seminar from Vatra Dornei, were presided by Mr. Gabriel Craciun, our representative within ITF. He made public our preoccupations and problems we are confronting and which exist also in other railway companies from Europe and from the entire world; he also proposed a series of solutions in view of a future resolving of these problems. The variety of the themes presented and analysed, axed especially on the main role and activity union trades have, proved to be of a great interest for the participants.
We can mention for example:
        Evolution of railways in the market economy ( restructuring, privatization, national and private companies);
        Privatization of the auxiliaries activities within the railway companies;
        Involvement of union trades in the reorganization of the railway systems and the consequences for the employees;
        Globalization and railway transportation (multi-national companies, international railway operators for freight and persons in Europe and the world);
        Union trades’ negotiations with the private operators;
        Social implications of the European corridors;
Participation of railway union trades from Romania at the International Action Day of the Railway Men.
Organizing this seminar contributed to the informing of the railway union trades from Romania about the railway transportation condition in other countries and about the necessity of the implication of the union trades in the restructuring and reorganization of the railway system. More solutions for protecting the interests of the union trades’ members were presented, solutions whose main issue was the insuring of a better and certain future in the railways.
In order to find out how they succeed in the organization of this seminar, Mr Gabriel Craciun, representative of ITF and Mr. Florin Dobrescu, president of the Iron Way National Federation, answered a few questions for us.

Railway Journal: Mr. Craciun, what is your role ion ITF?
Gabriel Craciun: I have been a counselor in the Department of Internal Transportation of ITF, since April 2000. I organize and attend different seminars in several countries of the world, where I present different issues - many of them I presented at this seminar, too - about the restructuring the railway systems in different countries, about
transnational railway transportation companies, etc.
The seminar from Vatra Dornei is the first such project organized by ITF in Romania. This was possible due to the collaboration with the Iron Way National Federation and with the National Railway Company CFR-SA. If things get normal, we hope that this seminar be followed by others. ITF’s intention was that of organizing in Romania a union trade meeting, with the participation of some representatives of union trades from Europe. Because of the financial reasons, we could achieve that only at a national scale, but I hope that in the future we will succeed.
RJ: How is supposed to be understand this relation Gabriel Craciun - Iron Way National Federation - ITF?
GC: I was the president of the Iron Way Federation and of the Solidaritatea Convention from 1991 until March 2000. During March 2000, I was offered the possibility of working within ITF. Before leaving, I resigned from the position as president of Solidaritatea Convention. Unfortunately, federations weren’t able to find a man representing them, and the convention is about to be closed. After I resigned also from the position of member of the Administrative Board with the Transportation Health Insurance House (CAST), I remain just the president of the Iron Way National Federation. Since my contract with ITF is valid for two years, I am considered as representative of ITF, thing that offers me the possibility of keeping my job. Of course, during all this time, my colleague Florin Dobrescu will replace me.
RJ: Did you have hard times organizing this seminar?
GC: It was a little bit difficult, because planning of this project started a year ago within ITF. We made greater efforts so that we could achieve this, only during five months. At the seminar, we invited to participate all railway federations, not only those affiliated to ITF. As for example: seven leaders of the Wagons Federation under way of affiliation to ITF, three leaders of ELCATEL Federation, which is not affiliated to ITF, and two members of the Commercial Movement Federation, which expressed its intention to affiliate to ITF. Unfortunately, METRO Free Union Trade and Locomotive Mechanics’ Federation did not send any of its representatives, although they were invited to participate at this seminar. The seminar had just one aim: that of offering information about railway transportation all over the world, so that to show more clear the need of implication of the union trades in the restructuring and reorganizing of the railway transportation system and to find out more solutions that protect the interests of the union members.
Mr. Mihai Necolaiciuc, General Manager of CFR- SA was also present to the seminar, both at the introductory session and to the lectures.
RJ: The problems debated during the seminar were addressed to the General Manager of CFR - SA?
GC: The leaders of the different union trades raised a series of problems existing both locally and generally. Mr. General Manger promised us that he would analyze all of them, and at the extent as he is able to, he would solve them. I would like to remind you though, that the worst problem, in the opinion of the union trade members, is CAST. Although it is not of the competence of Mihai Necolaiciuc, he promised that he would try to find some solutions to be presented to Anca Boiagiu, Minister of Transportation. It is a problem that has been lasting for almost a year, and frankly speaking, I don’t know how it could be solved as long as there is no agreement between CAST and the National Health Insurance House. We hope that, being helped by both the management of the company and the Ministry of Transportation, we will be able to find a solution as soon as possible.
RJ: When do you think a second session of this seminar will take place?
GC: There certainly will be other such seminaries. There was nobody else to deal with the union trades from Eastward and Westward Europe, until I have been hired to work for ITF. That is why I wish this project to be a continuous one. A big issue in the organization of such manifestations would be the financial problem. Since the countries from this part of the Europe, are no so stable, financially speaking, we need sponsors in order to be able to organize such seminaries. We were supported by the National Railway Company CFR-SA, which understood that such event means a positive trend for the railway employees.

Railway Journal: Mr. Florin Dobrescu, in your own quality as president of the Iron Way National Federation, why did you consider as necessary, the organization of this national seminary?
Florin Dobrescu: First of all, I have to say that it is the first project of this type, ever organized in Romania. In countries as France, Denmark, Spain, England, this type of seminaries are held and organized with governmental support. Even if just Mr. Mihai Necolaiciuc helped us, we can admit that it was a successful activity from our part. We considered as necessary the organization of such project, because the leaders of the union trades must get acquainted with what meant the reorganization of the railway system in other countries, what means the evolution of the railways in the market economy - i.e. privatization, private companies, etc. We had a thorough discussion about the privatization of the auxiliary activities within the railway companies and the consequences of such action for the employees. I could say that the participants were interested in knowing what happened in Europe with the employees that were fired
And what would happen in our case, in the future.
RJ: Did you find similarities between the current situation of our railway companies and that from the other countries?
FD: Of course. I attended no so long ago, to an international conference about transportation, and partly of the main issues were also debated during the seminar from Vatra Dornei: globalization of freight transportation, privatization of the railway infrastructure, etc. There were also pro and cons, because many of the participants, among which the French too, were against privatization. They want to keep a single and unique company of state. Failure of the privatization of railways in England raised some question marks related to its efficiency. Apart from the Frenchmen, there were also Spanish Italians and we, of course. We think that privatization of the infrastructure field means the loss of warranties related to traffic safety. If something goes wrong to us, we are the only one responsible, thing that will lead to the loss of credibility toward our clients - the travelers.
RJ: Do you consider that this cycle of seminaries should be repeated?
FD: Certainly. It is the only way, we, the professionals, can be up to date with latest events that take place in our activity branch and in other railway administrations. But of course, everything depends on the International Federation of Transportation, which organizes such projects in different countries.
RJ: I would like to make a little divagation from the subject, and tell me what is new after you took over the president position of the Iron Way National Federation.
FD: First of all I would like to remind you of the fact that the meetings between syndicates and administration go on. We discussed a series of terms and conditions as related to their settlement. Presently, there are still some issues that remain unsolved, which means that we will go on analyzing them.
I have also involved myself in the negotiation of labor agreements, within the program prior to the realization of the job positions at CFR, project that is now about to be finalized.
As it was expected, we included among our priorities, the issue of the Transportation Health Insurance House, since it is the worst problem we are dealing with. We had discussions with the Minister of Transportation, Miss Anca Boiagiu, about the allocated funds for the infrastructure and RK. We are behind schedule on this matter, and we would like to put and end to it. We received insurance from the part of the management of the companies and the minister, that in the near future we will be provided with external funds, which means that the situation could be better.
We propose that in the future, to solve the problem of the improvement of the working conditions for our employees. In this sense, together with the other railway federations, we initiated an instrument that stipulates that the income budget for 2001 to have included also meal tickets. It is a top-ten issue for us, and we think we could solve it. For the following period, we complete all necessary steps so that our employees should receive their 13th salary, Christmas bonus and presents for their children. We think that we will always be able to find solutions to our problems.

Reporting Oana Bran