Social Problems and Union Discontent
Dissatisfaction in most of the public sectors in Romania has led to protests, particularly in healthcare and mining.
Daniela Budu, 21.04.2016, 13:28
Romanian healthcare trade unions picketed a few days ago the Prefect’s offices in several counties as well as the Parliament Palace in Bucharest, to demand that inequities in the public healthcare sector be eradicated and that the system be properly financed. They are dissatisfied with the fact that negotiations on the new salary law have been suspended, and want 6% of the GDP earmarked for public healthcare and new rules for the operation of consulting rooms in schools.
In the north-eastern Romanian city of Iasi, more than 300 employees from public education, healthcare, local administration and tax agencies, protested in front of the Prefects Office. The leader of the Iasi branch of the “Fratia trade union confederation, Ioan Pascal, pointed out that discontent had built up since 2010, when salaries had been cut down by 25%, and that the latest draft law generated significant imbalance in terms of salaries across the public sector.
Iulian Cozianu, head of the “Sanitas Iasi trade union, added that, considering the current price level in Romania, salaries should be raised by at least 25%. Healthcare personnel demand holiday and night-shift bonuses and want the hiring freeze in the sector to end. In turn, the Prefect of Iasi County, Marian Grigoras, said he would forward the unionists lists of demands to the relevant structures in the Government.
Equally disgruntled were scores of miners and energy workers from the Oltenia Energy Complex in south-western Romania, who walked 300 km to Bucharest, in a protest march. Two years ago, massive redundancies were initiated to downsize the companys 15,000-strong workforce, and a further 2,000 people are to be let go this summer. The miners hope to convince the Government that mining in this area is worth carrying on.
The Energy Minister Victor Grigorescu has said the Oltenia complex is not insolvent and the Cabinet will find solutions for the financial recovery of the company. He had talks with the management and employees and agreed on a plan to improve the efficiency of the company, which requires, among other things, a personnel restructuring scheme.
Meanwhile, some hope that the situation of the company might improve through a partnership with a major Chinese corporation. Oltenia officials say that a new thermal power plant could be built in Rovinari, in three years time, in a partnership with the Chinese state-owned company Huadian Engineering. The project requires investments of one billion euros. At present, the Oltenia Energy Complex is one of the corporations that generate huge losses for the state budget, although four years ago it was reporting profits. The unit is able to cover nearly 30% of the electricity demand of the country, but the prices it charges are three times higher than those asked by other suppliers in the market.
(Translated by: Ana Maria Popescu)
