Those who could be laid off are employees with fixed period contracts, according to Ion.

“Unless the market revives, it is possible that fixed period contracts for 3,000 employees will not be extended. This will not mean a mass layoff, because these contracts are drawn up at various times for different periods, of three or six months and, when they expire, they will not be renewed,” Ion said.

He added that some 960 employees have had their contracts extended to indefinite periods this year. Early next month, the company is to decide whether to extend contracts for 600 employees whose fixed period agreements expire on December 31.

The sales of Automobile Dacia, controlled by French Renault group, dropped 8.9 percent in Romania in the first 10 months of 2008.