Romanian state-owned television to axe almost 1,000 in restructuring move

Romania's state – owned TV company TVR will fire some 980 employees, part of its restructuring plan. After this measure, TVR will only have 2,300 employees. The company is in dire straits, with a current loss of EUR 145 million. It recently closed down one of its TV channels, TVR Info and, said it planned to close down TVR Cultural as well.

The employee union in TVR says the employees are not to blame for the situation the state television network has ended up in. Union president Dragoş Bocanaciu pointed to some of the members of the current board, who were also members of previous boards and who are among those guilty for this situation. “Why only these 980 people have to pay? Why not the seven board members? […] The board is still majority made up of people under whose supervision the TVR disaster occurred,” he said. The union's alternate plan is to have lower social costs, and hopes to be able to convince the management. Otherwise, it plans to protest. “If firing will not be made correctly, we will not let go, we will fight for every valuable journalist who needs to go,” said Bocanaciu. TVR needs seven and a half years to pay off its EUR 145 million debt, according to its new general manager, Claudiu Saftoiu. editor@romania-insider.com (photo source: Wikipedia)