Radio România Internațional

Tag: salary policies

  • May 23, 2024 UPDATE

    May 23, 2024 UPDATE

    Protests – Trade unionists from several public institutions and governmental organizations protested on Thursday in front of the headquarters of the Romanian Government. They complained about wage inequities and discrimination in their fields of activity. These are employees from Environmental Protection domain, the Trade Register, the National Archives, the National Council for Combating Discrimination, as well as from the Sports and Youth domains. They were joined by a few employees from the government’s working apparatus, who started a spontaneous protest, stopping their  activity. In the meantime, the Government adopted an emergency ordinance that provides for 10% salary increases, in two installments, and the covering of costs for eyeglasses for several categories of employees in institutions under its authority, ministries or under the control of Parliament, including for some of those who were at the rally on Thursday. However, the offered increase displeases some of the protesters, who consider it too small. The Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu told them that for the institutions in question, more flexible staff structure solutions can be found, and from the savings made, the salaries of those who deserve it can be increased.

     

    Salaries – The minimum gross salary in Romania will increase to 3,700 lei (almost 744 Euros) from July 1, and the facility granted to employers regarding the 200 lei (about 40 Euros) exempted from taxes will be kept until the end of the year. The decision was announced by Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu in a Facebook post, after the conclusion of the Tripartite Council: Government – employers – unions. The Prime Minister said that in this way, Romania is on the right track for the implementation of the European minimum wage.

     

    Exhibition – The regional military equipment exhibition “Black Sea Defense and Aerospace” 2024 takes place, until Friday, in Bucharest. The event is attended by over 400 global manufacturers of military equipment and technology from approximately 30 NATO member states or partners. Experts from all over the world will see the latest military equipment and weaponry, the main attraction of the exhibition being the fifth generation F-35 multi-role aircraft, which the US Air Force brought to an exhibition in Europe for the first time. Marcel Ciolacu, who participated in the opening of the exhibition, stated that, in the context of the bloody conflict in Ukraine, the revitalization of the national defense industry has become a priority of the Romanian government.

     

    Strategy – The National Youth Strategy 2024 – 2027 was approved on Thursday by the Romanian Government. Starting from the results of an academic research, the strategy addresses various areas that can influence the quality of life of young people. This aims to increase the number of projects addressed to young people in order to increase access to education, culture and to develop the entrepreneurial spirit, said the spokesperson for the Executive, Mihai Constantin. He pointed out that, in the implementation of the strategy, several institutions from the fields of Education, Culture and entrepreneurship will be involved.

     

    Forum – Romania openly supports the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine in their European aspirations and the progress of these two countries on the path of reforms is visible, but ‘this road is not easy at all, the speaker of the Senate, Nicolae Ciucă, said Thursday in Bucharest in the framework of the “Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum”. He mentioned that the two countries must work on several clear lines of action, so as to integrate into the EU. Officials, military diplomats and analysts from Romania, the United States and other NATO and EU countries gathered in Bucharest for this important security, defense and foreign policy event. The “Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum”, now in its eighth edition, debates topics related to developments in the Black Sea region, in the context of the war in Ukraine. George Scutaru, general director and founding member of the New Strategy Center Romania, organizer of the event, said that Romania, located on the border with a war zone, must invest in defense capabilities and adapt its legislation to the current situation. Among others, the well-known economist Nouriel Roubini, the former commander of the NATO Forces in Europe, General Phillip Breedlove, or the reserve general David Petraues, the former head of the CIA, participate in the forum in Bucharest.

     

    Film – The feature film “NASTY”, directed by the Romanians Cristian Pascariu, Tudor D. Popescu and Tudor Giurgiu, was presented, on Thursday, in the “Special Screenings” Section of the Official Program of the Cannes International Film Festival. The screening of the film ended with a Q&A session in the presence of the three directors. The documentary film NASTY offers the public a captivating foray into the life of the legendary Ilie Năstase, the first rebel in the history of tennis. Ilie Năstase dominated the Romanian and world tennis scene in the 1970s. In addition to pure talent, he stood out through an electrifying style of play, and his eccentric personality and volcanic, often controversial temperament brought him special fame. The Cannes Film Festival ends on Saturday. (LS)

  • November 16, 2023 UPDATE

    November 16, 2023 UPDATE

    Protests – Around 2,000 people gathered Thursday morning in front of the governments headquarters in Bucharest, in a national protest against the public pension system and the recent law on tax-related measures. The rally organized by the Meridian National Trade Union Confederation, brought together representatives of various public sector domains, from local police to civil servants and forestry and agriculture workers around the country. The main source of discontent is the bill on public pensions, passed by the Cabinet on November 9, which according to trade unionists abrogates some retirement rights currently enjoyed by several personnel categories. On Wednesday employees of Romanian public pension houses, healthcare and employment agencies temporarily suspended work and took to the streets. Healthcare ministry staff and pharmacists are also disgruntled and demand solutions from the government.



    Visit – President Klaus Iohannis, who is on a state visit to Kenya, presented, on Thursday, Romanias donation to Uthiru Girls High School in Kangemi, underlining that the country will continue projects dedicated to education. “We will continue to focus on the implementation of projects in the field, for inclusive, quality education,” Klaus Iohannis wrote on a social network. On Wednesday, in Kenya, Klaus Iohannis met with the president of this country, William Ruto. On this occasion, four memorandums of understanding were signed in the fields of environmental protection and climate change, scientific cooperation, food safety and diplomatic training. The African tour of the president will continue on Friday in Tanzania, where he will have a meeting with his counterpart, Samia Suluhu Hassan. He will then travel to Cape Verde and Senegal, and according to the Romanian presidency, it is the first political-diplomatic approach at this level in the last 30 years, which aims at relaunching Romanias relations with the African continent.



    Football – Romanias national football team has been, since Thursday evening, in Hungary, where they will meet Israel on Saturday in a Qualifying Group I match of the 2024 European Championship, to be hosted by Germany. Because of the war at home, the Israelis had to postpone their matches from October to November, and to play abroad the matches scheduled at home. Romania ends the preliminaries on Tuesday, in Bucharest, with Switzerland. Undefeated in the first eight matches, Romania has 16 points and is ahead of Switzerland, the group leader, in terms of goal difference. Next is Israel, with 11 points, and Kosovo, with 10 points. The two top ranking teams in the group go to the final tournament. Romania has not reached a European Championship since 2016, and a World Cup since 1998.



    Israel – The Israeli army announced on Thursday that it had captured the port of Gaza, in the Palestinian enclave of the same name, international press agencies write. They show that it is a small fishing port, whose activity was already limited by the blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza since 2007, when the Islamist movement Hamas took over the Strip. The Israelis claim, however, that the port was a “training center for (Hamas) commando forces to plan and execute naval terrorist attacks.” Earlier, the army had occupied the Parliament, government and military police buildings, until then controlled by the Islamists. Israel also confirmed that its soldiers are still deployed in al-Chifa hospital, where, according to the UN, there are around 2,300 Palestinian civilians: patients, medical staff, and refugees.



    Banks – The Romanian prime minister, Marcel Ciolacu, stated on Thursday that next year no new taxes will be imposed and that the Executive will approve the establishment of a new bank with state capital. “Today we approve the articles of incorporation for the Investment and Development Bank of Romania. This bank, which exists in all countries, has been talked about for over a decade. Finally, were establishing it too. This bank represents the missing link between the money of international financial institutions and Romanias strategic projects. We will have the appropriate financial instruments for the development of these projects” said the PM. Romania still has two banks with state capital, Eximbank and CEC.



    Gaza – The UN Security Council, so far divided, adopted a resolution calling for a humanitarian pause of several days in the Gaza Strip, breaking the silence for the first time after more than a month of war between Israel and Hamas, AFP reports. The resolution, drafted by Malta and which was adopted with 12 votes in favor and 3 abstentions (USA, UK, Russia), also calls for “extended and urgent humanitarian aid for a sufficient number of days” to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered to civilians from Gaza. The resolution also calls for the “immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups, especially children,” without condemning the Palestinian movement’s bloody attack of October 7. Both the Israelis and Palestinians criticized the Council resolution. The Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour said that a ceasefire not just a pause should have been asked and that this should have been done a long time ago, while the Israeli ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, condemned the resolution, labeling it as “insignificant”. On the ground, the Israeli army announced on Thursday that it had taken over operational control of the port of Gaza, a key infrastructure in the north of the Palestinian territory. At the same time, the Israeli army on Thursday continued its raid on the main hospital in the Gaza Strip, Al-Shifa, where thousands of Palestinian civilians are located, causing concern and a wave of criticism at the international level. (LS)