Risk free responsibility for Labour Code

The Government yesterday took responsibility for the new Labour Code draft before Parliament, in spite of criticism from the business community and the Opposition.
This is the fourth time the Nastase Cabinet has taken responsibility before Parliament in its two years since investiture. This time, it comes at a moment of prolonged talks about organising early elections.
The Opposition, although disagreeing with the new draft, will not file a motion to censure in response to the Government’s action. It chose to do so for two reasons: it is weakly represented in Parliament and is divided into two sides. The PSD (Social Democrat Party) MPs in their turn would not “sign” against their own Government even though this action might mean early elections. Furthermore, PSD’s stance shows the Nastase Cabinet does not want its actions towards organising early elections tied to the Labour Code.
Premier Adrian Nastase presented the new Labour Code to the MPs as an European project that settles the employer-employee relations in line with market economy and the social democracy principles.
The PM says, that, in essence, the Labour Code “lays the groundwork for eliminating what we call employer abuse.”
While drafting the new Labour Code – Nastase says, the Government was also very careful to look after the employers’ best interests.
“We are thereby expressing our concern for the development of the private property, of the entrepreneurial spirit, for the improvement of management, for promoting the employers’ interests,” Adrian Nastase said before Parliament.
The business community sees this differently, though. The business people are unhappy with a provision in the Labour Code that binds them to propose their employees professional training programmes and reassignment in case of collective layoffs for economic reasons.
“I feel that the new Labour Code gives too much power to unions when it comes to collective and individual layoffs,” Flaviu Pop, HR manager with Sumitomo Electric Wiring Systems said.
“I believe that the originators of the law wanted to promote a European project. However, good intentions are harmed by the lack of communication and by the rush to have it endorsed, as usual,” Ioan Popp, Impact Bucharest general manager in his turn said.
The new Labour Code puts more pressure on the employer, has contradictory provisions and is in breach of other laws, the business people argue.
The Government, on the other hand, says that the employers had a say in the drafting of the new Labour Code, as well.
“This draft is not solely the Government’s work, but a commitment discussed, negotiated and agreed upon with the unions and the employers,” the PM said.
The opposition parties have repeatedly criticised both the new Labour Code draft and the manner in which the Government promotes it: taking responsibility before Parliament, particularly because this rules out the possibility of talks over the draft.