As the second month of 2012 gets underway, there are no signs of any real improvement in the dire situation in Rîmnicu Vîlcea, as petrochemical group Oltchim (Râmnicu Vâlcea / Romania; www.oltchim.ro) continues to send both its own workers as well as employees of subsidiary Petrochemical Arges into “technical unemployment”. By now a mantra, group CEO Constantin Roibu continues to blame a lack of both feedstocks and capital for the measures – see also Plasteurope.com of 10.01.2012.

A small glimmer of hope may be the fact that the measures so far had applied to about 1,000 employees, while this latest round “only” affects 840 workers, who have been sent home but continue to receive 80% of their wages.