Romanian Govt To Limit Business Class Air Flights For Dignitaries, Eliminate Wage Bonuses

The measures are included in a document drawn up by Prime Minister Adviser Dan Iliescu and discussed in Thursday’s government meeting. The measures will be introduced by Government Decision few days before the termination of the mandate.

The document includes short-, medium- and long-term measures aimed at reducing the central administration’s expenses.

Short-term measures include granting bonuses only to “worthy” public servants on Christian holidays, approving business class air flights only for departures outside Europe, decorating Christmas trees only in certain places, not in every office of the institution, limiting expenses for advertising materials given by the public institutions.

Other measures include limiting the number of subscriptions to newspapers and magazines, reducing the number of cars and drivers for managers, accountants, and requiring their services via a dispatching center instead.

Reducing the number of extra-working hours, for which bonuses are paid, is also included in the governmental document.

Rendering office activity efficient and the re-assignment of tasks to other institutions or departments are seen as a solution preventing the hiring of other public servants.

The government is taking into account banning trainings for public servants which take place outside the locality or in touristic areas, and a stricter control over state publicity.

The government plans to amend the Law on state employees’ wages by eliminating some bonuses for them and the Law on public servants by easing the dismissal procedures of public servants that are considered “lazy or incompetent”.

"The law will be amended so as to enable the dismissal of lazy or incompetent people. The current procedure is difficult and makes it nearly impossible to sack an incompetent public servant,” sources said.

Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu sent the document that includes the above measures to the finance minister Thursday, asking him to come up with a draft decision reducing the administration’s public expenses in the next government meeting.