IAR Brașov employees protest on Monday / Union members contest the purchase of helicopters from abroad and the increase in the Board of Directors’ allowances

IAR Brașov employees will organize a rally on Monday, October 12, 2026, in protest against the selection of a foreign supplier for the purchase of military helicopters and against the increase in the allowances of the members of the Board of Directors. The protest is scheduled for 10:00 a.m.

Union members complain that Romania has signed, for the first time since 1969, a contract for military helicopters with a supplier other than IAR. They claim that the company has a workload utilization of under 20%, although Romania is allocating billions of euros for defense procurement, and they are calling for contracts for the Romanian defense industry.

Another grievance concerns the increase in the number of salaries corresponding to management positions, from three to nine, as well as the increase in the allowances of the Board members from 4,720 to 20,400 lei gross. The union also complains about the blocking of the salary indexation with inflation, negotiated in June.

Interim Economy Minister Irineu Darău maintains that the new allowances are linked to objective and performance criteria. The Ministry of National Defence announced in July the purchase of 12 Airbus H225M Caracal helicopters, with an estimated value of 757 million euros. IAR has a long-standing industrial cooperation with Airbus Helicopters.