Forestry trade unions have announced protests in front of the Parliament next Tuesday, where President Klaus Iohannis and interim PM Viorica Dancila are also invited, next to the Chamber speakers, minister of Waters and Forests, and Romsilva director. The protest is an attempt to warn over the recent violent cases and even murders committed by lumberjacks against foresters. Foresters are also asking an urgent law on the Forestry Staff Statute.
The local and foreign media reported about the recent case when Liviu Pop, a forester in Maramures, was killed while he was on duty to prevent illegal logging.
The foresters want thus to pay homage to those six foresters who were killed by the timber mafia in the past years, also revealing that 30 attacks against foresters had taken place in 2018, and 40 in 2017.
Lumberjacks even resorted to murders, killing six employees of Romsilva, while over 650 foresters were assaulted, beaten, threatened to be killed, attacked with knives, axes and even shot.
Romsilva trade unions say that, although after their first protest action in September they had been assured the Statute of the Forestry Staff will be debated and adopted as a matter of urgency in the plenary session on October 14, the draft bill was sent back to the Agriculture Committee and nothing happened ever since.