Unions Call On Romanian Govt To Delay Seeking Parliament Confidence Vote For Pension Law

Union leader Octavian Luca said unions had no talks with the government on the pension bill and they haven’t even seen the bill. Another union leader, Aurel Cornea, said the government’s plan to enact a new law on the fast track would be unconstitutional and abusive, while Marius Petcu said the pension law is too important to be passed during a political crisis.

Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc said earlier Tuesday the government will seek a confidence vote in Parliament to enact and IMF-required pension law which will increase retirement age and eliminate special pensions, such as those of lawmakers, magistrates, military, law enforcement and intelligence services staff.

The Government has pledged to reform its public pension system by December under an IMF-led EUR19.95 billion financial rescue package.

Under the draft pension law, all special pensions will be integrated in the public system and will be recalculated depending on people’s contributions, which means they will be reduced.

Boc said he is ready to put his job on the line and will resign if the pension bill doesn’t go through.

In September, the center-left coalition government of democrat liberals and social democrats sought a confidence vote in Parliament and enacted unitary wage law for the public sector, the law on education and a law reorganizing government agencies and public institutions.

The social democrats left the coalition last week, leaving Boc with a minority government and relentless social uproar among public sector workers over the recently adopted wage law.