PM negotiates with strikers

The general strike started yesterday by transports and power distribution trade unions might end today, but everything depends on the results of the negotiations that took place last night between leaders of “Univers” Federation and Prime Minister Mugur Isarescu.

Protests started following stipulations of Government Ordinance number 58, which limits the number of raises that can be granted to regies’ and state companies’ employees, based on the level of debts of the companies involved.

On one hand, the Government asked for budget restructuring according to revenues and expenditures for each company mentioned in the annexes of the ordinance, by July 31st, as well as for a “substantial” modification of Article 21 from this normative document, which abrogates any contrary stipulations of the valid collective labour contracts.

On the other hand, according to the National Trade Unions’ Block leader Dumitru Costin, workers want a clear difference to be made between raises and bonuses. They also ask for a modification of the ordinance’s addendum, which should include local regies that also contribute to financial arrears.

The strike basically affected domestic consumers who were not able to pay their invoices and to conclude or cancel contracts. Industrial consumers disconnected from the power network have been less numerous than initially announced. In Bucharest, only nine of the initial 24 companies have been disconnected from the network. Total arrears of the nine companies amount to only 1.2 billion lei.