“We have received requests from ARACO members to take the state to court in order to recover the receivables, but we have not yet decided if this action should be at sector level or at the level of the service industry. Prime Minister Emil Boc said that 90 percent of the receivables have been paid, but only 55-60 percent of the companies have received the money,” Plosceanu added. ARACO’s President indicated that the funds reached state institutions and the local administration, where they are stuck.
The situation is seriously affecting the financial balances of companies and is generating progressive bankruptcies in the sector, according to Plosceanu. ARACO officials said that some 75,000 construction workers could be laid off this summer if the state does not take measures to support this sector, considering that 20,000 employees were laid off in the first quarter.
The number of construction firm bankruptcies rose 20 percent in the first three months compared to 2008, also due to the economic crisis. The state owes some €1.2-1.3 billion to construction companies.
