Romania must pay 11 million euros in wages for 1,500 CFR Marfă workers

The bill

Romania must set aside about 56 million lei, roughly 11 million euros, to cover unpaid wages and compensation tied to a collective dismissal of about 1,500 CFR Marfă employees. Transport and Infrastructure Minister Ștefan-Ovidiu Popa gave the figures at a press conference on Monday, 9 November 2026. Of the total, 19 million lei covers back pay and 37 million lei covers compensation. The back pay covers four months of wages that staff have not received. The financing sources have yet to be identified, and Popa said he had discussed the matter with the prime minister, the deputy prime minister and the Labour Ministry in search of a solution.

Back pay19

Compensation37

Back pay

19 million lei

Compensation

37 million lei

Data from the article text

Why a collective dismissal is needed

CFR Marfă has not held an operating licence since spring, yet about 1,500 people still have employment contracts with the company, and some of them have not worked since June. Popa said the situation requires a collective dismissal. Under the collective labour agreement, that means five compensatory salaries, calculated on the average gross wage in the sector. The compensation component is the larger of the two amounts, at 37 million lei against 19 million lei in back pay. The minister put the requirement this way:

“Besides these sums, a collective dismissal is needed, which means paying five compensatory salaries under the collective labour agreement.”

Staff split and Carpatica

Of the roughly 1,500 people still on CFR Marfă's books, about 900 are on technical unemployment, more than 300 also hold contracts with Carpatica Feroviar, and about 200 are close to or already at retirement age, according to the figures Popa presented. Carpatica has begun selection procedures and is looking for specialised staff, particularly locomotive mechanics and train chiefs. Its director general, Daniel Apostolache, said former CFR Marfă staff who want to keep working in rail freight can take part in the selection. Apostolache described the shortage of qualified staff as a problem for the company, which needs workers to carry out transport. Some candidates who attended interviews have already been accepted. Popa said the workers are expected there:

“They are expected at Carpatica because there is a staff shortage and they need specialised people.”

Infringement and insolvency risk

Popa warned that Romania risks an infringement procedure because CFR Marfă and Carpatica Feroviar have the same business purpose. The European Commission expects CFR Marfă to enter insolvency, and the minister said the problem is still unresolved. He blamed the former management for taking no action and for refusing to appoint a provisional board of administration with a special mandate to carry the procedure forward. The two companies operating in parallel are the core of the warning, and the minister linked the wage bill to that structure. In October, a railway union federation warned that train traffic in Romania could be reduced or halted because of a lack of funds for maintenance, repairs and energy.