The employers who resorted to prisoners include TRW Automotive (automotive component manufacturer), Rilug (footwear manufacturer) or AEM (electricity meters).
“The partnership with TRW Automotive started in October 2013 and now includes 55 prisoners working in two shifts at the TRW plant (outside the prison grounds i.e.), 83 working in two shifts at the (steering wheel cover sewing) facility inside the prison and 25 working at an outside facility of the prison,” warden Ioan Bala says.
There are plans to introduce a third shift at TRW Automotive, because of the high workforce demand of the company. The other companies using inmates for their staffing needs are footwear manufacturer Rilug and electric meter manufacturer AEM, he added.
With a jobless rate of only 1.4%, Timis County is facing a severe shortage of labor, which forces employers in the area to ‘import’ workforce from other areas to meet export demand.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)