Romanian Opposition Won’t Attend Any Conf Vote Seeking Procedures

The opposition said it will not submit a motion of no confidence either, because that would legitimize the Government’s move.

„We will not attend any procedure in Parliament that has to do with this gross breach of the Constitution and we will in no way legitimize this bill,” social democrat leader Victor Ponta said Monday.

He added it is unacceptable in a country under rule of law for the Government to seek a confidence vote to pass a bill that opposes court orders.

„The adoption of a normative act, by any means and procedures, that impedes the execution of court orders is unconstitutional and questions Romanian democracy and the separation of state powers,” said Ponta.

He said the Social Liberal Union will notify the Constitutional Court and call on the High Council of Magistrates to take all necessary measures to prevent the adoption of a law that undermines judicial power.

Romania’s ruling coalition decided Monday to allow the Government to seek a confidence vote in Parliament to pass a law capping teachers’ wages.

The Government has drawn up a bill and plans to freeze this year the salaries of teachers who won wage increases in court, capping them at the level in January.

According to the bill, granting new salary rights through collective or individual work contracts is forbidden and breaching this norm will represent a criminal offence and will be punished accordingly.

The draft law regulates teachers’ salaries in 2011 and includes detailed annexes regarding the gross wages of teachers and auxiliary staff in the university and pre-university education system, with the mention that they are valid until December 31, 2011.

The normative act forbids negotiations of new salary rights, through collective or individual work contracts, and states education sector staff will not receive holiday bonuses, food vouchers, gift vouchers or retirement indemnity. The document also reads that overtime will be rewarded only with time off.

Last week, Prime Minister Emil Boc said the Government will sponsor a bill, possibly by seeking a confidence vote in Parliament, capping salary increases for teachers, as the economy cannot cope with a 50% wage hike. Boc said that, because of inconsistent judicial practices, some teachers are entitled to a 50% raise, others to a lower raise, so uniform regulation of this system is needed.

In 2008, the Tariceanu Government issued an emergency ordinance, which postponed the application of a law increasing salaries in the education sector by 50%, and provided a 17% raise. The ordinance was ruled unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court, which argued that postponing the raise affects the teachers’ fundamental rights.