Romanian Public Servants Threaten Strike Unless Bonuses Included In Wages

Oprescu said public administration workers could go on strike when the Government seeks a confidence vote in parliament to adopt the unitary wage law. He said problems in the public administration sector have emerged again when the head of state sent back to Parliament the government decree on bonuses for public servants.

On October 13, around 200 Finance Ministry employees staged a spontaneous protest, demanding the payment of their bonuses. More than 500 employees of Bucharest's public finance administrations and the Treasury rallied in front of the ministry the same day.

The protests soon extended to the entire country, with thousands of employees of local financial administrations, Treasury offices, pension houses, employment agencies, health insurance and social assistance houses, and libraries stopping work as a sign of solidarity with the Finance Ministry personnel.

In the aftermath of the protest, unionists and Finance Ministry and Fiscal Administration officials negotiated on the bonuses. Eventually, only SNFP signed the protocol with the ministry concerning these monetary rights. Minister Gheorghe Ialomitianu said at the time that a bill would be passed in Parliament on October 19 to ensure that all the ministry's employees receive a fair wage.

President Traian Basescu sent the Parliament on Wednesday a request for the re-examination of the Government Ordinance on bonuses for public servants, arguing that they are discriminatory and in violation of the unitary wage system.

The Government said public servants would get their financial bonuses until the end of the year according to performance and the unitary wage law will be applied as of next year.

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