BUCHAREST (Reuters) – Transport in the Romanian capital of Bucharest was disrupted on Friday when protesting subway workers occupied tracks in a downtown station and blocked trains from running.
Trade union members staged the protest over a conflict with management of Bucharest subway company Metrorex, which said on Thursday it would shut down underground commercial spaces which it said were a fire hazard.
Most of the spaces are run by subway trade union members.
“Although unionists implied they have a list of demands, repeated invitations to meet with the company’s management were completely ignored during the night,” Metrorex said in a statement.
The subway underpins public transport in the European Union state’s capital, which is struggling to contain the spread of the new coronavirus.
Bucharest has some 2.5 million residents, but the figure is believed to be outdated and does not take into account commuters from nearby towns and villages.
(Reporting by Luiza Ilie; Editing by Robert Birsel)
