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Hundreds Of Finance Ministry Employees Continue Countrywide Protests Over Unpaid Bonuses

Hundreds of employees of the Romanian Finance Ministry and local fiscal administration departments throughout Romania are protesting over unpaid bonuses for a second day in a row Thursday.
Hundreds Of Finance Ministry Employees Continue Countrywide Protests Over Unpaid Bonuses
Oana Gavrila
14 oct. 2010, 10:31, English

Romanian Finance Minister Gheorghe Ialomitianu, together with fiscal administration head Sorin Blejnar and Interior Minister Traian Igas, are expected to have a new talk with the prime minister Thursday about employee bonuses.

Romanian „Sed Lex” union leader Vasile Marica Wednesday evening told the Finance Ministry employees protesting the non-payment of their bonuses that talks with the finance minister had hit a „deadlock” as the minister refused to allow the bonuses, claiming his hands were tied.

Prime Minister Emil Boc said Wednesday incentives may only be granted using performance criteria and not by default. In turn, fiscal administration chief Sorin Blejnar said employees may get bonuses and incentives if they manage to reach their set budget revenue collection target, a target that has been missed in the first half of the year.

The Government slashed the wages in the entire public sector by 25% this summer, as part of an anti-crisis program to reduce the budget deficit. Former Finance Minister Sebastian Vladescu had promised his ministry’s employees they would continue to receive bonuses until a new unitary wage law entered force, as the elimination of these incentives’ elimination would, in effect, translate into a 60% pay cut

Vladescu was replaced with Gheorghe Ialomitianu in September, with Prime Minister Emil Boc citing the former’s plan to keep giving bonuses as one of the reasons.