Radio România Internațional

Tag: harassment

  • Working in Romania

    Working in Romania

    The Romanian Labor Ministry has developed new rules to combat harassment at work. According to a draft law subject to public debate, employers are to be obliged not only to take measures to prevent such cases, but also to ensure paid time off or remote work conditions for those whose life or health were put at risk by such incidents. According to the new rules, harassment is punishable even if it is manifested on the employees’ communication networks, email or WhatsApp, during work trips or in rest areas provided by the employer. The statement of reasons states that harassment is often used by companies themselves to force employees to work unpaid overtime, work to exhaustion or accept disadvantageous working conditions. The changes will be introduced in the Labor Code, and fines for non-compliance with the new provisions can reach up to 10,000 lei.

     

    Almost 2,800 foreign citizens are in the records of the Hunedoara Immigration Office, the institution reports. More than two thirds of them come from the Republic of Moldova, Nepal and Sri Lanka, and the rest from European Union countries, the majority from Italy, Germany, Austria and the Swiss Confederation. Chief Police Inspector Ciprian Mihuţ, from the Hunedoara Immigration Office, showed that the main purposes for which foreigners settled in Romania are employment and family reunification. Foreign citizens are mostly employed as unskilled workers in construction, and others work in the hospitality field. Ciprian Mihuţ also said that, in relation to combating the illegal stay of foreigners in the country, the Immigration police undertook 25 checks last year, as a result of which eight people were detected in illegal situations. Also, five return decisions were issued with a deadline for voluntary departure from the territory of Romania, two of which were for illegal stay, and three following the cancellation of the right of stay or the revocation of the entry visa. Following the issuance of return decisions, two foreigners will no longer be able to enter the territory of the member states of the European Union, the European Economic Area and the Swiss Confederation, for periods between 3 and 6 months.

     

    In 2024, in Prahova county, in the south of Romania, there were requests for about 7,000 jobs for the labor force from the non-European space, said the director of the County Employment Agency, Cristina Stoichici. According to her, last year’s workforce crisis will persist in 2025, which is precisely why employers in the county are turning to this form of recruitment. Regarding jobs, the head of the Prahova County Employment Agency stated that, at this moment, there are 1,395 vacancies in the county. Most are available in fields such as constructions – 128, manufacture of electrical and electronic equipment for motor vehicles – 100, protection and security activities – 84, manufacture of other electrical equipment – 61, manufacture of bread and pastry products – 60, restaurants – 55, trade – 53, road transport of goods – 45, hotels and other accommodation facilities – 34. The unemployment rate recorded in Prahova is 2.49%.

     

    Romania is one of the preferred countries for German companies, shows a report drafted by the accounting firm KPMG and the Committee for Economic Relations in Eastern Europe. The report notes that one in five German companies interviewed intends to relocate production processes to Eastern Europe. Also, at least half of the companies expect the region to become more and more relevant from an economic point of view by 2030. Poland, the largest economy in this part of the continent, remains the preferred investment destination of 51% of German companies, followed by Romania, with 43% and Ukraine, with 41%. The most important factors for investment decisions are domestic demand, availability of skilled workers and relatively low labor costs. However, the German businessmen point out that, in addition to these advantages, German companies also take into account political risks, lack of security and the high level of corruption in Eastern Europe. 133 German companies with businesses in Central and Eastern Europe participated in this study. (LS)

  • August 5, 2024 UPDATE

    August 5, 2024 UPDATE

    Harassment – The Government is this week expected to amend the legislation on sexual abuse, which currently disallows anonymous complaints. Authorities will adopt measures to protect the victims, regardless of the aggressor’s identity. The measures come in response to several reports of sexual harassment in universities. Education Minister Ligia Deca explained the police will quickly register reports of sexual abuse, and the new measures will apply to the entire public sector, including regulations regarding internal inquiries. We recall that, in the last week, a number of former female students presented allegations of sexual harassment against three university professors. The Police have launched a number of investigations. Professor Alfred Bulai of the National School of Political Science and Public Administration (SNSPA) was sacked from the position of chair of the Sociology Department, while Dorin Ștefan Adam from the University of Architecture in Bucharest and Marius Pieleanu of SNSPA have resigned.

     

    Energy – The Romanian Energy Minister, Sebastian Burduja, signed, on Monday, together with the Minister of Mines and Energy from neighboring Serbia, Dubravka Dedovic Handanovic, a Memorandum of Understanding regarding the Gas Interconnector Construction Project between the two countries. The Romanian official stated that the interconnector will play an essential role in energy security and in the regional integration of energy markets. According to him, on the territory of Romania, the natural gas transport pipeline will connect to the BRUA pipeline and will have a length of about 86 km. It is estimated that the investment will be completed by 2028. Burduja also showed that, in the first quarter of this year, Romania provided almost 30% of the gas production of the entire European Union and has all the chances to become an energy hub in the market.

     

    Middle East – Romanian citizens must leave Lebanon quickly by the flights still available. It is the firm recommendation sent by the Romanian Foreign Ministry, in the context of an increased risk of escalation of tensions in the Middle East. The Ministry also recommends Romanians who are in Lebanon to register their presence at the Embassy in Beirut. On the other hand, the Romanian national airline TAROM announced that it is suspending flights to and from Tel Aviv, Amman and Beirut, starting from Tuesday until August 12, following the current developments and the deterioration of the security context in the Middle East.

     

    Drought – The filling rate in Romania’s 40 reservoirs is almost 79%, slightly downwards compared to last week. The National Administration of Romanian Waters states that the necessary raw water is provided for supply in a centralized manner, but draws attention to the fact that in 421 localities, from 17 counties, which have centralized supply systems, water is supplied with restrictions. In 270 localities, from 10 counties, where there are no water networks, the wells have dried up. Considering the forecast for the next period, specialists continue to call for the rational use of water during the drought.

     

    Cars – The number of electric cars in the EU registered a significant increase last year, of 50%, but their share in the community car fleet remains low. Compared to the total stock of cars in the Union, electric cars account for only 1.7%. Denmark has the best percentage, 7.1 % of the total car fleet. Sweden, Luxembourg and the Netherlands follow, the last with five percentage points. Romania has approximately 0.5% and ranks 20th in the EU. The lowest percentages are reported by Cyprus, Greece and Poland, each with 0.2%.

     

    Beer – Beer sales on the Romanian market increased by over 40%, compared to previous years. According to the survey of a food product delivery company, Romanians order the largest amounts of beer on Friday and Saturday afternoons, and the most requested assortment of beer is blonde beer, followed by dark. This year, the largest quantity was requested on June 22, during the European Football Championship, when the Romania – Belgium match took place. In a list of the cities with the most beer orders at national level, the capital Bucharest is in first place, followed by Cluj (north-west) and Braşov (center). (LS)

  • On gender equality

    On gender equality

    The rise in intimidation,
    harassment and hate speech against women and girls, including online, requires
    immediate and firm action, reads a joint statement signed by over 20 embassies
    and the representative office of the European Commission in Romania on March 8, the International
    Women’s Day.




    We celebrate the
    achievements regarding substantive gender equality and the progress
    accomplished so far in securing the rights of women and girls all over the
    globe. At the same time, we must acknowledge that much remains to be done until
    women and girls can fully exercise their human rights, the statement reads.
    According to the document, Ensuring
    women’s full, equal, effective and meaningful participation in all spheres of
    public and private life, including their political representation and
    leadership in decision-making processes, is essential to achieving gender
    equality.




    The signatories also
    emphasise that women and girls have the right to live free from violence and discrimination.
    However, violence against women and girls is the most common human rights
    violation as almost 1 in 3 women has experienced, at least once in her life, physical
    and/or sexual violence – a fact unchanged for over a decade. (…) Access to
    comprehensive support services and to justice for victims and survivors of
    sexual and gender-based violence has to be ensured, they argue.




    The fact that women are
    not adequately represented in national parliaments and governments, including in
    Romania, is not good for democracy, the European Commissioner for Equality Helena
    Dalli said in her turn. Early this week, she was on an official visit to
    Bucharest, to attend a conference on empowering women in Romania. As the EU
    official put it, all women must have financial and economic independence; we must
    recognise and appreciate the work and contribution of women, and we must give
    them the tools to achieve balance between their personal and professional
    lives, she added.




    Helena Dalli also pointed
    out that in Romania 46% of women, as against only 25% of men, are the primary
    care givers to children, elders or disabled members of their families. A fair
    sharing of responsibilities would help men and women to have equal
    opportunities to work without sacrificing their family life, the EU
    Commissioner explained, while also saying that women currently earn an average
    30% less per hour than men.




    She also discussed the high teenage
    pregnancy rate in Romania, which propagates
    poverty, and the discrimination against Roma people, both in terms of gender
    and ethnicity. The EU official described the situation in which Roma live in
    many communities in the European Union as ‘scandalous’ and ‘unacceptable’.




    And she also mentioned
    that the violation of the rights of people in the LGBTIQ community is contrary
    to the spirit of the European Union and warned that EU funding
    should not reach the local authorities in areas where these people are
    excluded. (AMP)

  • Cyber bullying and its effects on young people

    Cyber bullying and its effects on young people

    In Romania, which ranks 2nd in the EU in terms of number of women working in the IT&C sector, 81% of the young women aged 16 to 24 surfed the Internet on a daily basis in 2017, by 1% more than young men the same age. Nevertheless, when it comes to young Romanians participation in online debates, their number is way below the European average. Only 16% of the young women and 20% of the young men were interested in exchanging ideas based on articles read in the media or on blogs.



    While this behaviour can be explained by a general lack of interest among young Europeans when it comes to political and civic involvement, other data about refraining from telling ones opinion indicate different causes. In the EU for instance, 12% of the girls aged 15 have experienced cyber bullying, as against only 7% of boys. In Romania, a survey conducted by the IT company Bitdefender last fall shows that four out of five teenagers aged below 18 say they have been the target of cyber bullying. Experts with the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) have linked cyber bullying to refraining from making any comments, especially in the case of girls.




    Furthermore, how many of the teenagers actually admit they have been victims of bullying, and that this is why they refuse to express their opinions? According to psychologist Nansi Lungu, surveys only take into account those who admit to having been bullied, although the phenomenon is very likely much more widespread than any statistics can show. Usually, bullies are youngsters the same age as the victims, and usually they are familiar with each other. “The worst thing is that, as a rule, bullying is a repeated behaviour, a continued aggression against the victim, Nansi Lungu believes, and the effects on the victim can be devastating:



    Nansi Lungu: “Youngsters or teenagers do not understand why they are attacked and why so much hatred is let out at them, so they may experience long-term effects, because their psychological development is still in progress at this age. They cannot prevent being bullied, because such attacks start at random, but once initiated, their frequency and aggressiveness increases.



    In Romania, the main reasons for cyber bullying have to do with looks and clothing, with 67% of the messages targeting these aspects. Other reasons include the victims hobbies and day-to-day activities (30%), the financial status of their families (13%), school grades (12%) and sexual orientation (8%). These reasons are, usually, the same as the reasons for classical bullying, as cyber bullying is a continuation of real life occurrences. However, in certain respects, cyber bullying is enhanced.




    Cyber bullying cannot be prevented because it is usually related to a certain context, and its apparent reasons are more often than not mere pretexts for aggressive behaviours. For this reason, emphasis should be laid on post-factum reactions and on education:



    Nansi Lungu: “By and large bullies arent discouraged by the quality of counterarguments but by the number of those who stand up for the victim. And this is why the phenomenon causes so much concern, because social cohesion is low in Romania. Children do not have around examples of people standing up to bullies. They may be taught this principle in schools, but they dont see that in everyday life. Due to scarce education, or human nature at that, a former victim may sometimes turn into a bully in a certain context. As far as we accept the propagation of a certain type of hatred and aggressiveness—and online we do that, to a great extent—there will always be someone to join the group of bullies. Why? Because in this way they get a sense of power and strength, and they can no longer become victims. The attitude of bystanders should also be educated, so that they may step in more often.

  • Mobbing or psychological bullying at the workplace

    Mobbing or psychological bullying at the workplace

    While sexual harassment has been a familiar concept for some time, mobbing or psychological bullying at the workplace is only now growing more and more familiar, especially since the number of victims is considerable. According to a 2011 survey by the Quality of Life Research Institute, 25.7% of respondents said one of their colleagues was offended by other colleagues or bosses, but only 7.4% admitted to having been offended themselves. At the same time, 41% of the respondents admitted that their boss or colleagues yell at each other at the workplace.



    Unfortunately there are no recent statistics related to mobbing, which was introduced in the Romanian legislation in 2015. After amending the law on equal opportunity and criminalizing harassment under Law 229 of 2015, Romania now has the legislative means to punish harassment and discrimination at the workplace. Costel Gâlcă is a lawyer and he told us more on this issue:



    Costel Gâlcă: “Psychological bullying takes place over an extended period of time. Also, the acts of a bully need to be evident, and to infringe on the honour and dignity of an employee. These are the main elements that define mobbing as an offence in Romania.



    Costel Gâlcă is one of the first lawyers in Romania to draw attention to this phenomenon and to represent the first victims in court. Here he is back at the microphone with details on these cases:



    Costel Gâlcă: “Since 2015, when the law was passed, three already famous cases have been tried, and the courts ruled they were cases of psychological bullying at the workplace. In the first case, the bullied person was an advisor working for a multinational company, while in the other two cases people in the top management were involved, namely the deputy general manager of a bank and the director of the biggest department in the respective company. Mobbing does not target only a specific category of employees or only a certain level in a professional hierarchy. It emerges at all levels starting with the bottom one.



    Leaving aside the destructive effects on ones professional development, mobbing also has psychological consequences which, in most of the cases, involve somatic reactions. Psychologist Flori-Ana Andronache will give us more details on the impact of psychological harassment on a person:



    Flori-Ana Andronache: “Harassment is quite subtle and insidious most of the times, and the victims are rarely aware of whats happening to them from the very beginning. Generally it starts with a conflict which then gradually develops into psycho-terror in the workplace. Some of the consequences that may appear include the reluctance to come to work, a state of irritation, confusion, the feeling of losing ones self-control. Sometimes the consequences are even more serious. People develop symptoms of anxiety and depression, panic attacks, insomnia, etc. There are also somatic effects, such as skin irritation, dermatitis, gastro-intestinal problems, rapid weight loss or weight gain, all incurred by this type of stress. The life of the respective person changes not only at a strictly personal level, but also in terms of the relationship with family and friends.



    Given this situation, an increasing number of employees seek psychological counselling. Some of them went to Flori-Ana Andronaches medical office. She told us about a case in which one of her patients, a mother, returned from maternity leave to deal with an unexpected attitude from her co-workers. Flori-Ana Andronache:



    Flori-Ana Andronache: “She went back to work and she started being mobbed by her colleagues because while she was away they had to take over her duties, as no replacement was hired during her maternity leave. So her colleagues resented her. It all started with things like not being answered back when she greeted them and not including her into any correspondence. It culminated with her being asked by her immediate superior to make some accounting entries that were not exactly legal. Her refusal to do so and her already vulnerable position due to previous harassment triggered an even more adverse reaction. She only sought psychological counselling a few years after this episode, when the symptoms of depression were already present.



    Lawyer Costel Galca has advised the employees who dont understand from the very beginning that they are victims to mobbing to ask themselves whether what is happening to them is part of normal behaviour at work. Costel Galca:



    Costel Gâlcă: “Is it normal that once at the airport with the whole team and a valid ticket in your hand to be told by your manager that you cannot go anymore, that you should stay while all the others leave? Of course not, since you didnt do anything wrong. Is it normal for a companys deputy manager to have the office at the other side of a hallway, far away from all colleagues, next to the toilet? Is it normal to be missing from the companys website, you alone, of all employees? Professional harassment is another aspect of mobbing. A person that is no longer wanted in a company does not receive any tasks anymore.



    Although the current law does punish mobbing, experts say it needs additional provisions for prevention and the payment of damages.



    Costel Gâlcă: “I have identified two situations. The amounts that multinational companies had to pay in damages are ridiculously small. At present, a Romanian judge is not prepared to order the payment of damages in keeping with the economic value of the company that has lost the case. A protection system is being drawn up for both the employee and the company, which should sanction this offense from its first signs, because by the time victims go to court they are already destroyed psychologically.“



    A draft law on psychological harassment at work is currently being discussed in Parliament.


    (translated by: Lacramioara Simion, Elena Enache)