Publisind trade unions to stage protests against austerity measures
The Publisind trade union federation says it will stage protests against expected austerity measures that include pay and job cuts, layoffs, tax increases, suspension of certain rights, cancellation of positions, "a deliberate, inexplicable destruction of state bodies and even making Romania's forces more vulnerable in the full swing of a war on its borders."
According to a Publisind press release, the first action will be a protest rally before the Ministry of Finance, on Thursday, September 21, 2023, at 11:00hrs.
"We expect a minimum of 1,500 participants in the action, who will protest against the abusive austerity measures that will come into force based on an undemocratic, non-transparent process that demonstrates the avoidance of dialogue and social partners, called 'government taking responsibility.' Along with us, other trade union organisations from the National Trade Union Bloc will also take to the streets on Thursday, considering that the austerity measures affect a wide arrange of areas and categories of employees, not only from the public sector. For the year 2023, the Framework Law on public pay provides for the calculation of wages by multiplying the ranking coefficients with the minimum wage, but the coalition governments of recent years have systematically blocked the law so that in 2023 they will be responsible for cuts and not for compliance and enforcement of the law," says Publisind.
Publisind's actions begin with a rally before the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Justice, followed by successive protest rallies in Bucharest and elsewhere, starting collective action in the form of strikes at some public bodies, halting the activity of the Penitentiary Police at the end of September - refusal to do extra work, blocking Police activity - and culminate with a rally in Piata Victoriei.
Publisind trade unionists are arguing that the austerity measures will have the following effects: the deletion of some functions/positions from public bodies already facing chronic staff shortages; redundancies at public bodies following mergers/dissolutions; cutting overtime pay; cutting vacation vouchers; cutting bonuses for working conditions, without improving conditions; cutting food vouchers and postponing the payment of outstanding pay won in courts.
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