On February 12, the factory committees were banned by the government because they resembled the Soviets during the 1917 Russian Revolution, banned all communist unions and enacted the state of emergency. The following day, the communist union secretly organized a factory committee at the railroad workshops made out of 250 workers. On February 14/15 night, the authorities arrested the main leaders of the union, including Bogătoiu, Doncea and Gheorghiu-Dej.