Radio România Internațional

Tag: pay raise

  • May 22, 2024 UPDATE

    May 22, 2024 UPDATE

     

    PAY RAISE The government of Romania intends to raise the salaries of some categories of public sector employees by 10% this year, in 2 equal installments. A draft order in this respect has been put up for debate by the Labour Ministry. Some of the employees targeted by the measure have recently organised protests, but Prime Minister Ciolacu explained on Tuesday that the budget did not allow for more pay raises. The draft order concerns the employees of various cultural institutions, of the trade registry offices, diplomatic staff, defence personnel, town hall staff and employees of other institutions funded from the government’s and Parliament’s own sources.

     

    SECURITY President Klaus Iohannis said on Wednesday that there is no direct threat against Romania and “no sign or indication” of any attacks or other “undesired events” targeting Romania. “Of the information I have, I can tell you that Romania is a safe country. Romanians have no reason to fear, but obviously we must always be ready for unexpected occurrences,” he explained. According to Iohannis, Romania, thanks to its NATO membership, benefits today from the most important security guarantees in its history. “It is very, very important for us to understand that we are not alone, we are together with our Allies and we can handle any situation quite well,” Klaus Iohannis pointed out.

     

    BSDA The Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu Wednesday said there are good prospects for the Romanian defence industry to conclude impressive contracts worth billions of euros. Attending the international exhibition “Black Sea Defense and Aerospace” in Bucharest, the PM said this is the biggest event devoted to the defence industry in the Black Sea region. The presence of 400 companies from 31 countries proves the importance of this event, Ciolacu went on to say. All the five operational fields (land, air, naval, cyber and space) are being represented, and the event’s main attraction is the multi-role F-35 jet fighter that the US Navy has for the first time brought to an exhibition in Europe. The event is aimed to identify opportunities and find production and business cooperation solutions contributing to the promotion of Romania’s defence industry worldwide.

     

    BACCALAUREATE In Romania, the high school graduates who were part of Olympiad teams and international arts or sports competitions Wednesday stood the compulsory speciality test in a special Baccalaureate session. The exam started on Tuesday with the Romanian language and literature test, with the alternate speciality test scheduled for Thursday and the native language and literature test on Friday. Students’ digital and linguistic skills will be tested in the following days, and the final results will be announced on June 4.

     

    FESTIVAL The International Theatre Festival ‘Shakespeare’ continues in Craiova, south-western Romania with a new series of theatre shows, multi-media installations, outdoor film screenings, book launches and round table talks.  ‘Macbeth’, produced by the Chisinau-based Teatrul Fără Nume company in the Republic of Moldova, and the ‘Twelfth Night’ directed by Andrei Serban at the State Theatre in Constanta were the festival’s main events on Wednesday. Shakespeare village, a British village from the 1600s built from scratch on the local hippodrome, is the venue for scores of concerts and shows, while the Craiova Promenade is hosting the Shakespeare Dimension cube, providing a virtual immersion into the Shakespearian world. At its 30th edition this year, the international event consists of 300 shows and events bringing together some of the world’s most famous directors and actors, such as Robert Wilson, Declan Donnellan, Peter Brook or Robert Lepage. (AMP)

  • February 6, 2024 UPDATE

    February 6, 2024 UPDATE


    MOLDOVA Romania will continue to support the Republic of Moldova in its EU accession negotiations, PM Marcel Ciolacu said in a meeting with Moldovas new foreign minister Mihai Popşoi. The latter also had talks in Bucharest with his Romanian counterpart Luminiţa Odobescu, as part of his first foreign visit since taking over the office. The agenda of the talks included, apart from Moldovas EU accession, topics related to energy interconnection and security. “Moldovas reform efforts are visible and appreciated. The authorities in Chişinău proved courage and political determination in tackling reforms in critical areas for the EU integration,” Odobescu said. The Moldovan foreign minister promised the two countries will preserve an active relationship. “The past 2 years were a major challenge for Moldova, but also an opportunity for a positive transformation, towards EU integration. In this process, we benefited from massive assistance from Romania in the development, modernisation and resilience of our state. We appreciate this strong and steady support,” Popsoi added.



    HEALTH Healthcare trade unions have been promised a 15% salary increase, which will add to the 5% increase applied to public sector employees at the start of the year. After extensive negotiations with Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, the leaders of the Sanitas Federation said salaries will increase in two stages, in March and June, although it is unclear which categories of personnel will benefit from the increase and when. Talks with the authorities will continue, trade unions say. Representatives of the Sanitary Solidarity Federation are disgruntled with the governments latest counteroffer, the Federation leader Viorel Rotilă argues, adding that the increase will only affect base salaries, meaning health workers salaries, which also include bonuses, are expected to increase by a little over 14%. Protest actions will thus continue, Viorel Rotilă went on to say.



    MILITARY Reintroducing compulsory military service is out of the question, but the defence ministry is interested in regulating voluntary military service, the defence minister Angel Tîlvăr told a television station. He said the Romanian Army has seen its forces reduced from 320,000 to 80,000 troops. Tîlvăr emphasised that there are no risks of Romania going to war. Meanwhile, MPs in the defence, public order and national security committees discussed with Tîlvăr on Tuesday about the security situation at the Black Sea. Special attention was paid to the need to bring the Army procurement programmes in line with the national defence industrys needs for development and consolidation of its production facilities. Another topic was the legislation in the defence sector.



    INTERNET Several Romanian lawyers warn that the national legislation must be adjusted in order to tackle online crime, and say children in particular are vulnerable. Experts say the best ways to protect from online scams are to not access links from unknown sources, not to disclose personal and banking data on unauthorised platforms and not click posts promising various immediate substantial profits. The International Safer Internet Day was marked on Tuesday in around 200 countries, at a time when more and more people are victims of cybercrime.



    TENNIS Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea has advanced to the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 tournament in Abu Dhabi (UAE), offering over 920 thousand USD in total prizes. This was the first win of the year for Cîrstea (26 WTA), who ousted Caroline Garcia of France, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4. The Romanian player will next take on third-seed Maria Sakkari of Greece (9 WTA). Cîrstea leads 2-1 head-to-head, the Greek player having won the last match 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the second round at Cincinnati. (AMP, VP)


  • August 8, 2018 UPDATE

    August 8, 2018 UPDATE

    STRIKE – The employees of structures subordinated to the Romanian Ministry for Youth and Sports and national sports federations are on all-out strike as of Wednesday, after having picketed the Ministry for several days without receiving any response to their salary demands. They argue that they are unable to survive and even less so to support sports performances on monthly net salaries of around 290 euros. On the other side, Andrei Nourescu, adviser to the Youth and Sports Minister, says the Ministry has submitted repeated requests to the Labour Ministry, but that a pay raise in this sector is a long-term process, which might begin on January 1 with a 25% increase.




    CINEMA – The village of Sfântul Gheorghe, in the Danube Delta, south-eastern Romania, Wednesday hosted further screenings as part of the “Anonimul International Independent Film Festival, including “The Secret of Happiness, directed by Vlad Zamfirescu. Taking part in the official competition are 6 Romanian and international feature films and 26 short films. Productions awarded in other festivals this year are also shown, while Q&A sessions and roundtables are organised on the sidelines of the festival. The Kazakh director Emir Baigazin will be the recipient of this years “Anonimul Trophy, for his contribution to the art of cinema.




    FOOTBALL – Three Romanian sides are playing on Thursday away from home, in the first leg of the 3rd preliminary round of Europa League. Romanian vice-champions FCSB (formerly known as Steaua Bucuresti), take on Croatias Hajduk Split. Kicked out from the Champions League in the 2nd preliminary round, Romanian champions CFR Cluj are facing the Armenian side Alashkert, while the winners of Romanias Cup CSU Craiova are playing against RB Leipzig of Germany. The second leg is scheduled next week.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • May 16, 2018 UPDATE

    May 16, 2018 UPDATE

    PRESIDENCY – The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis is taking part on Wednesday and Thursday in Sofia, Bulgaria, in an informal meeting of the European Council and the EU – Western Balkans Summit. According to the Presidential Administration, the agenda of the informal European Council meeting includes topics concerning the digital, research and innovation sectors, as well as the decision of the US to introduce customs duties for steel and aluminum imports. At the EU-Western Balkans Summit, the heads of state and government will discuss connectivity, security and migration. President Iohannis will emphasise the importance of projects in the field of connectivity, infrastructure, energy and digital networks, which are able to enhance the convergence between the EU and the Western Balkans region, the Presidency also says.



    EU PRESIDENCY – The Minister delegate for European affairs Victor Negrescu Wednesday presented Parliaments specialist committees with a first draft of Romanias priorities during its EU presidency in the first half of next year. Safety and Europes shared values, the Europe of convergence: growth, cohesion, competitiveness, connectivity, and Europe as a global player are the four themes of interest of Romanias term at the helm of the EU Council. The document, which is undergoing validation procedures, will be presented in Parliament next month by PM Viorica Dăncilă. Negrescu said a national and political consensus on the final document was necessary.



    EMBASSY – The Ambassador of Palestine in Romania, Fuad Kokaly, was called to Ramallah for emergency talks, the Palestinian Embassy in Romania announced. The Foreign Ministry of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) resorted to the measure as Romania is one of the countries having blocked a joint EU statement on the relocation of member state embassies from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the news release reads. France Presse and DPA report that the Palestinian Authority announced on Wednesday having recalled “for consultations its ambassadors to 4 EU member countries that sent their representatives to a ceremony organised on Sunday by Israel to mark the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem. The 4 countries are Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Romania. The EU criticised the US President Donald Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and his decision to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.



    PROTESTS – The Government of Romania Wednesday passed an emergency order operating changes in the law on public sector employee salaries, agreed on with trade unions. The changes will benefit employees in public education and healthcare. Under the order, all the healthcare staff whose net incomes dropped in March compared to February will receive compensations. Also, the 30% ceiling on bonuses will no longer apply to on-duty time for doctors and nurses. Also on Wednesday the Government of Romania passed an emergency order earmarking the funds required for keeping specialised personnel in the defence industry. Defence industry staff Tuesday and Wednesday picketed the Government headquarters to warn about the problems facing the companies and the employees in this sector. The Romanian defence industry risks getting shut down because of the shortage of skilled personnel and the lack of investments, one of the protest organisers told AGERPRES news agency.



    BSEC – The Speaker of the Senate of Romania Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu Wednesday took part in a summit bringing together the heads of parliaments of the Organisation of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation member states. In an address during general debates on ’25 years of BCEC: the role of parliaments in shaping the future of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation’, Tăriceanu pleaded for an integrated approach to transport and energy infrastructure projects, able to improve the connectivity of member states. The Speaker of the Romanian Senate also reiterated his confidence in the future of cooperation at the Black Sea and in the contribution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation in promoting peace, stability and wellbeing in member countries.



    TENNIS – Romanian and world no 1 Simona Halep will play on Thursday against the American Madison Keys, seed no 13, in the eighth-finals of the WTA tournament in Rome. On Wednesday in the second round Halep defeated Japans Naomi Osaka, no 21 WTA, in straight sets, while Madison Keys won against the Croatian Donna Vekic. This will be the 7th match between Simona Halep and Madison Keys, with the Romanian having won 5 of them. Also on Wednesday Irina-Camelia Begu, no 41 WTA, was defeated in the second round by the German Angelique Kerber, no 12 WTA.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Pay Rises and Elections

    Pay Rises and Elections

    If Romania has registered the highest economic growth rate in the whole of the EU, why are you against pay rises? This is how some of the politicians in Bucharest have attacked the Government, which opposes some of the questionable decisions made by Parliament lately, in the run up to the December 11th elections.



    It has actually become quite a habit before elections for political figures to resort to various ways of buying votes. In the first years after the Revolution, they would hand out flour, sunflower oil, buckets or aprons, but, gradually, such useful commodities were replaced by legislative initiatives aimed at securing more votes for those who needed them.



    Early this week, the joint budget and labour committees of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies endorsed a 15% raise in salaries in public education as of January 1st, 2017, and a similar one, as of December this year, for salaries in the healthcare sector. Also, they decided that bonuses for the administrative staff in public healthcare be calculated based on the salary level in 2016, not in 2009 as it was the case before. Also, staff with the health insurance agencies will have their salaries raised by 25%.



    On Monday, the Chamber is to vote on these measures, and the Labour Minister Dragos Pislaru warns that such pay rises might affect the economy. He has stated that a government order has already regulated a 15% pay raise for employees in the education and healthcare sectors, plus a further 15% increase at a later time. He argues however that such raises should take place gradually by 2021.



    Dragos Pislaru: “In any normal country, payroll expenses must not exceed a certain percentage of the budget, because when you invest in salaries rather than in infrastructure, when you practically ignore any warning, you must accept that this could raise the suspicion – which this time I believe is well grounded – that its just electoral bait. This summer we came up with a plan: to increase the entire payroll in the public sector by 2021, by 30% on average.



    The Economy Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Costin Borc has said that if the salary bill, as it is today, is endorsed by Parliament, the Government will take it to the Constitutional Court. According to the Executive, the impact on the budget of the laws voted by Parliament in the past months stands at some 2 billion Euros. This will either increase the deficit or decrease the amounts of money allotted for investment. Moreover, the gaps between the salaries of various categories of public sector employees would widen.



    From an economic standpoint, Romania is in a good situation. What would be the point then in destroying it in order to just win several extra votes? Increasing salaries in the education and healthcare sectors once again might throw Romania back to the 2008 election year, when Parliament offered pay raises only to subsequently cut salaries twice as much because of the economic crisis.


    (translated by: Mihaela Ignatescu)

  • August 1 – 7

    August 1 – 7

    Queen Anne of Romania dies at 92


    On August the 1st Anne, wife to King Michael I of Romania, died in a hospital in Switzerland, at the age of 92. Had the Romanian society not experienced the tragedy of Sovietisation in 1948, her wedding with the Romanian sovereign would have taken place in Bucharest and would have been joyfully celebrated by the entire Romanian nation. Because of the Kings forced abdication and subsequent exile however, the wedding was held in Greece. Of their nearly 70-year long life together, King Michael and Queen Anne spent more than 40 away from Romania, where they only returned—not without difficulty—after the 1989 anti-communist Revolution. Historian Adrian Niculescu gave us more details:



    Adrian Niculescu: “The role of Queen Anne was that of the wife of a king in exile, of sharing his destiny, and first and foremost of giving him a family. While playing an institutional role, she was primarily a person of vital importance in supporting King Michael I.



    On Tuesday, August 9, Queen Annes body will be repatriated from Switzerland. The Queen will be buried in Curtea de Arges, the final resting place of Romanian royalty, on August 13, which is a day of national mourning. Romanians regret the death of Queen Anne, the longest-living Queen in the history of Romania. She was one of the most important symbols of wisdom, dignity, and a moral role model, said President Klaus Iohannis. In turn, PM Dacian Ciolos said the Queen remains a symbol of graciousness, discretion and dignity. Condolence messages also came from Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church, political leaders and other public figures.



    New social measures target public sector staff


    The salaries of more than 650,000 Romanian public sector employees were raised on August 1 by 10%, under a Government emergency ordinance aimed at eliminating inequities in the system. Healthcare, teaching, public administration and defence personnel will be getting higher pay, depending on seniority and speciality, and other bonuses will add to their basic wages. Also on August 1, new regulations took effect, concerning the level of child-rearing benefits. The minimum threshold for these benefits is nearly 250 euros, and the ceiling has been eliminated. Taking advantage of these benefits will be those parents who have made taxable revenues for at least 12 months during the past two years. The benefits account for 85% of the average net revenues of those 12 months.



    Romanian carriers threaten to protest


    Romanian carriers threaten to stage nation-wide protests in mid-September, unless the issue of tariffs for the compulsory car insurance policy is solved. This week they have requested that the Government should freeze policy prices at last years levels. Here is Constantin Isac, vice-president of the National Union of Road Carriers:



    Constantin Isac: “Promises have been made, months have passed, and what do we see? The average price increase compared to June last year was 80%, with peaks reaching as much as 300 or even 500%. As everybody knows, for lorries, 12-15 months ago the compulsory car insurance policy was roughly 1,000 euros. The offers we are receiving from insurers these days amount to 5,000 euros. And this difference should be covered by an increase in our fees. However, for the time being the market cannot support this fee rise, so basically Romanian carriers are pushed out of the market.



    A new round of negotiations with the Government is scheduled in two weeks time.




    Ambulance, fire, SMURD call centres to be merged


    The head of the Romanian Emergency Department, dr. Raed Arafat, announced on Thursday that authorities were working to set up a common dispatch centre for ambulance, fire and emergency resuscitation and extrication services, as well as to create a registry of the NGOs able to provide assistance in case of incidents with multiple victims. Raed Arafat also mentioned that the owners of buildings that do not have fire safety permits have to get them by the end of the year at the latest. Until they obtain the required documents, the investment beneficiaries are fully and exclusively liable for all risks. As of January 1, 2017, sanctions for the buildings used without a fire safety permit will range from 4,500 to 11,000 euros. These measures were taken after last autumns fire at the Colectiv nightclub, which killed tens of people.



    Healthcare Ministry checks blood transfusion centres


    The Romanian Healthcare Ministry has identified 142 unauthorised blood transfusion centres in the country, most of them operating in public hospitals. According to a news release issued by the Ministry, the causes will be analysed in the forthcoming period, and conformity programmes will be put together. Unless the problems are solved by November 1, the respective centres will no longer receive blood from the National Haematology Institute. A woman died and another one was in a critical condition recently because of faulty transfusion procedures in such units.



    31st Olympics start in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil


    More than 100 athletes represent Romania, between August 5 and 21, in the 31st edition of the Summer Olympic Games, held in Rio de Janeiro, the first South-American city to host such an event. A total of 10,000 athletes from more than 200 countries will compete for Olympic medals. For the first time in history, Kosovo and South Sudan are taking part in the competition. Another novelty is that a refugee team is competing under the Olympic colours. The Games are not free from problems and controversies in Brazil as well as internationally. On the one hand, the South-American host state is struggling with substantial political, financial and economic problems. On the other hand, the Games start after the largest doping scandal in history. And Zika, the virus spread mostly by the bite of infected mosquitoes, is another problem looming over the current edition of the Olympic Games.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)