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Romanian Union Leader Hossu Criticizes Layoffs Decision, Announces Protests

Romanian Cartel Alfa union leader Bogdan Hossu told MEDIAFAX that normative acts drafted recently, which provide for layoffs in the education, social assistance and public administration sectors, were made by accountants, not experts, and unions are preparing to hold protests.
Romanian Union Leader Hossu Criticizes Layoffs Decision, Announces Protests
14 ian. 2010, 13:29, English

Bogdan Hossu said the Finance Ministry „is looking at the issue from a purely accounting perspective, without consideration for increased efficiency.”

Hossu said unions all over the country are gathering signatures in order to start protests in the second half of January.

Finance Minister Sebastian Vladescu on Thursday declined to comment on planned layoffs in the public administration sector, and said public institutions will have to apply a program meant to sack nearly 100,000 public sector employees.

The Government has already approved an emergency ordinance to cut 15,000 jobs in education in 2010. A further 3,000 jobs in social assistance will be cut, according to the Labor Ministry.

About 17,000 Romanians working in the local administration could be laid off in 2010, and the employees close to retirement and those with no children in care are the first to be sacked, according to a draft law cutting back on the number of local administration employees.

Romania’s state-owned railway companies will lay off a total 10,342 employees, of whom more than 6,000 work for freight railway company CFR Marfa, the Transport Ministry said Wednesday.

Hossu said late December, after a meeting with Finance Ministry officials, that the public sector payroll would be reduced by 0.7 billion lei (EUR1=RON4.1215) across the board, which means 80,000 public sector jobs would be axed in 2010.