Romanian government in need of Pinoy railway workers

The Romanian government is in need of Filipino workers to maintain their railway network, considered the fourth largest railway system in Europe.

"Despite the gloomy forecast of a world recession which has affected thousands of OFWs in Taiwan, Korea, Dubai and other countries in various parts of the world, Romania is placing a job order for Filipino railway workers that will upgrade the existing railway network in that country," said Emmanuel Geslani, a recruitment consultant of an organization of recruitment agencies.

Romania has 22,300 kilometers of railroad tracks and the railways carried 45 percent of all passenger and freight traffic in 2007, hence the need for additional railway workers, Geslani noted.

He said Romania's railways industry needs railway construction foremen, railway constructors, road engineers, asphalting foremen, steel benders, train engine operators, machine-cutters and welders.

As of early this month, the labor department reported that some 5,000 overseas Filipino workers and around 40,000 locally-based employees have lost their jobs due to the global financial crisis.

Most of the retrenched migrant workers came from Taiwan while others were from Australia, Brunei, Dubai, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Macau, South Korea, Russia, Poland and Canada.

The displacement was due to bankruptcy, slowdown in operations, cost-cutting in operations and voluntary repatriation.

Geslani said that aside from Romania, there are still countries opening their doors to foreign workers despite the labor slowdown.