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Romanian President Frowns On Strike In Legal Sys, Urges Magistrates To Resume Activity ASAP

Romanian President Traian Basescu said Thursday, during the plenary meeting of the High Council of Magistrates, that the magistrates' halt of activities within courthouses translates into sheer strike, which, he stressed, is against the law.
Romanian President Frowns On Strike In Legal Sys, Urges Magistrates To Resume Activity ASAP
10 sept. 2009, 11:09, English

The head of state also urged magistrates to put an end to the strike and get back to work immediately.

According to Basescu, this meeting, which focuses on core issues for the country’s legal system, should determine magistrates to resume activities within courthouses and stop postponing trials.

The head of state said it is very difficult for him to utter the word „strike” with respect to the current situation in the legal system, because the law bans magistrates from going on strike.

Some of the magistrates attending the meeting sharply criticized Basescu’s statements regarding the legal system.

Romanian Justice Minister Catalin Predoiu said Thursday, before the meeting, that the draft unitary pay law and the recent budget revision were meant to put an end to magistrates’ protests, which seriously affect people’s interests and rights.

The attendees will also approach the issue of the Supreme Court headship, after the current head of the Supreme Court, Nicolae Popa, recently turned 70 and will soon retire.

Popa proposed that the vice-president of the High Council of Magistrates, Lidia Barbulescu, should take the helm of the Supreme Court.