Finance trade unions take up more radical protests

(story to be published in tomorrow’s issue, March 8)

The state treasury might be left without any money during the following days, as a result of the decision issued on Monday by the National Council of Trade Unions within Finances-Customs, to radicalise protests against the Government’s not having adopted the statute of personnel subordinated to the Finance Ministry, which would lead to salary raises by up to 40 percent. “We will operate cashing-ins, but not payments and this way, the Treasury will be eventually empty,” the Union’s vice-president David aomlea told Ziarul Financiar. The trade union leader added that this form of protest would be accompanied by meetings and picketing of prefect offices of all the countries’ counties. The statute of personnel within the Finances is supported by the Finance minister, Decebal Traian Remes, despite the opposition voiced by the secretary of state within the Labour and Social Protection Ministry Norica Nicolai, who supports the idea of the adoption of a unitary salary paying method for the entire staff getting money from the budget and in this sense she has already drawn up two draft laws. Remes had stated in Iasi at the end of last week that the statute of financiers would be adopted during the first Government session that was to be held on Monday evening, but which was delayed. The secretary of state within the Labour and Social Protection Ministry rejects all salary raises obtained through strikes, because this form of protest “should not become a salary policy instrument.”