Romanian Public Sector Workers Can’t Strike Their Way Into Wage Raises – PM

"Whoever thinks repeated strikes will bring more money is wrong. This money has to result from efficiency, productivity, healthy grounds. Otherwise, we're lying to ourselves raising wages and pensions while boosting inflation and depreciating the local currency," Boc said.

The prime minister said the Government has already adopted a series of cost standards for schools, public construction works and is working on such standards for other investment sectors.

Most teachers in Romania are on a one-day full-blown strike Thursday over reduced pay and planned layoffs in the education sector and over the education bill, which is pending debates and approval in Parliament.

Unionists in the entire public sector have announced ample protests and strikes for May over the IMF-required unitary wage law, which cuts a series of bonuses public workers used to receive under collective work contracts and different wage laws.

Recession-hit Romania is relying on a financial aid package of nearly EUR20 million from the International Monetary Fund, the European Union and the World Bank and has pledged to drastically slash public spending.

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