Radio România Internațional

Tag: unified pay bill

  • New pay rises expected soon

    New pay rises expected soon

    Several categories of public sector employees whose salaries have not been increased in a long time will get more money soon, according to a draft law passed by the Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday. The document stipulates, among other things, pay rises for the staff of university libraries, the Agriculture and Culture ministries, for a part of the healthcare employees, military staff in service and civilian staff working with the Defense Ministry. Labor Minister Lia Olguta Vasilescu gives us more details:



    “The military staff will see a 15% increase in salaries, just like the staff of university libraries. Also, the state secretariat for revolutionaries will get 20% more, just like the staff of the institutions subordinated to the Agriculture Ministry, researchers with institutions subordinated to the Academy of Forestry and Agriculture, the sports clubs’ and student’s houses employees and expert doctors. Starting January 1, 2018 we will take into account the increases operated this year until the month of December. “



    The Liberal MPs voted in favor of the project while the National Liberal Party’s interim president, Raluca Turcan, has pointed out that all pay rises adopted were amendments made by the Liberals, included initially in the unified pay bill recently adopted by Parliament. Raluca Turcan:



    “Where is honesty? Where is responsibility? Can we even mention them if the high-ranking officials’ salaries go up while teachers and doctors are deceived?”



    On the other hand, the labor minister has said that the draft law provides for pay rises for the categories of public sector employees that have not seen any increases this year and has dismissed the accusation that it’s only high-ranking officials that get more money. Last week, Lia Olguta Vasilescu announced that the pay rises for all public sector employees would no longer be applied as of July 1, as scheduled, but as of January 1, 2018. Statistics show that the salaries of Romanian employees have gone up by an average 13.4% this year, to around 520 euros in the month of April. According to the National Statistics Institute, the most important pay rise was applied to the doctors’ salaries, which went up by 36%. Employees in the IT sector top the list of best-paid employees. The insufficient staff, the increase in the minimum salary and the pay rises in the public sector are the main factors that triggered a significant increase in the salaries of Romanian employees. (Translated by E. Enache)

  • May 26 – June 2

    May 26 – June 2


    Mini-holiday for the Romanians, between June the 1st and the Pentecost



    The International Childrens Day was the first day off out of a series of five that also include the Pentecost. This was the first time when June 1st was a non-working day, a decision made by the authorities so that parents can spend the day with their children. Special events marking Childrens Day were held in the capital Bucharest and across Romania, such as contests, shows, concerts and exhibitions. In the capital city children had free access to the Zoo, they visited the Cotroceni National Museum and the National TV stations headquarters. The National Radio Orchestra offered children, parents and grandparents a surprise concert at the Radio Concert Hall, where the little spectators were invited to go on stage alongside the musicians. In the city of Sibiu, in the centre, actors with the Small Theatre presented shows for children, while the open-air museum in Dumbrava Sibiului hosted a National Toy Fair. Over 50 thousand tourists are spending this 5-day holiday on the Black Sea Coast. Several thousands have opted for the mountain resorts on Prahova Valley, where they have various ways of enjoying their time off, from mountain climbing, trips with 4X4 automobiles and ATVs and walks through the forests. Over 25 thousand policemen made sure that things unfolded smoothly during the 1 thousand public events organized these days. The Border Police has also increased the number of staff as a large number of Romanians are crossing the border to spend their holiday abroad, mostly in the neighbouring Bulgaria and Hungary.



    The unexpected resignation of the president of the Save Romania Union, the third largest parliamentary party in Romania



    Nicusor Dan, the leader of the Save Romania Union, USR, in opposition, the third largest parliamentary party, on Thursday stepped down from the position of president of the party he founded in 2016. The Save Romania Union announced it would organise a new congress to elect a new leader, after the unexpected resignation tendered by its founding president. The interim leadership of the party is assured by the head of the USR Cluj branch (in the north-west). Dan stepped down after the USR National Bureau decided to stand against the revision of the Constitution, meant to redefine the concept of family as a union between a man and a woman. A draft meant to revise the fundamental law of the country has already been approved by the Chamber of Deputies and if it is also endorsed by the Senate, Romanians will be called to the polls to vote in a referendum. The revision of the constitution has been demanded by a citizens initiative, signed by three million Romanians. At present, the fundamental law of the country stipulates that the family is based on the consensual marriage between spouses.



    The unified pay scale bill in the Chamber of Deputies



    The unified pay scale billhas been debated these days by the Labour Committee with the Chamber of Deputies and next week it will be debated in a plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies, which is decision-making body. Backed by the parties in the ruling coalition, the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania, the unified pay scale billfor state sector employees is being criticized by the right wing opposition, who says the budget impact and the funding source for the pay rises are not clear. Hundreds of trade unionists in the public administration in Romania organised in Bucharest a new protest meeting against the bill.



    The strike by air traffic controllers in Romania



    Air traffic in Romania was disrupted on Tuesday by the air traffic controllers 4-hour all-out strike. Also on Tuesday, the Bucharest Tribunal ruled that the air traffic controllers strike was legal. They warned however that if talks on a new employment contract end in a failure, they might resume protests. They are also discontent about the shortage of personnel and that no hiring is done. Transport minister, Razvan Cuc, has dismissed information on ROMATSAs running the risk of going bankrupt and announced that a new development strategy is being drafted. Some 3,000 aircraft are crossing Romanias airspace daily, and, under the law, during their strike, air traffic controllers must coordinate a third of these flights. On May 12, they went on a two-hour token strike.



    HRH Prince Charles, on a new visit to Romania



    The British Crown Prince Charles has paid another private visit to Romania this week. On Monday, he received the title of Doctor Honoris Causa of the Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj Napoca, western Romania. He received the title for the sustained efforts he made to preserve Romanias cultural heritage, its traditions and the diversity of its nature. Prince Charles also visited the village of Viscri in central Romania, a UNESCO world heritage site, where he met with forestry experts and small farmers. The Romanian branch of the Prince of Waless Charitable Foundation will launch a new project, meant to help farmers living in mountainous regions develop their products and access new markets, both in Romania and abroad. Prince Charles has also visited three medieval churches in Brasov County, located in Drauseni, Homorod and Mercheasa, built around 1200, in Romanic style by the Saxon community in Transylvania. Prince Charles takes a special interest in Romania, a country which he has visited many times in the past 20 years.




  • May 2, 2017 UPDATE

    May 2, 2017 UPDATE

    AIR DEFENCE – US ambassador to Bucharest, Hans Klemm, has said talks on Romanias purchasing some US Patriot air defence systems might be finalised by the end of the year. He has explained that Romanian PM Sorin Grideanu has recently met with a delegation of the Romanian-US Business Council, during which the officials discussed ways to boost cooperation in the field of defence industry, as well as investments in Romania. In another move, Hans Klemm has said the US hails Romanias decision to increase defence spending to 2% of the GDP, in agreement with the commitments it has made within NATO. This also grants opportunities to US companies to cooperate with the Romanian ones in the field of defence, to develop new, state-of-the art equipment, to help Romania and the Alliance, including the US, to provide better defence, Hans Klemm has said.



    UNIFIED PAY BILL – The Romanian Senate on Tuesday decided to debate the unified pay bill, in an emergency procedure. Also on Tuesday, the bill was sent by the Senates Standing Bureau, for endorsement, to the Government, the Economic and Social Council, the Legislative Council and to other institutions. The deadline set for securing these endorsements is of one week. The bill provides among others for the gradual increase, in the following five years, of the salaries of state sector employees. The first pay rise is to be applied as of July 1st.



    MOLDOVA – The IMF Executive Board has completed the first reviews under the Extended Credit Facility and Extended Fund Facility Arrangements for the Republic of Moldova, that allow for the disbursement of 21.5 million dollars for that country. According to the report, the authorities continue to make significant progress in tackling long-standing vulnerabilities in the financial sector and advancing structural reforms. These efforts have helped strengthen financial stability and growth has been resumed. The report also says that the 2017 budget and the medium-term budget framework are consistent with the program targets. In November 2016 the Republic of Moldova signed a new programme with the IMF, worth almost 179 million dollars for a three-year period.



    BREXIT – Britains plan to leave the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) when it exits the European Union will severely hinder nuclear trade and research, and threaten power supplies, a UK parliamentary committee said in a report on Tuesday. The government says Britain must leave Euratom as part of its goal to end the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice when the country leaves the EU. Experts have said that if Britain leaves Euratom, there is a risk of new projects being delayed or put on hold while new stand-alone nuclear cooperation treaties are negotiated with countries in the EU and outside it.



    UNEMPLOYMENT – The unemployment rate registered in Romania in March 2017 stood at 5.3%, down by 0.1% as against February, while the number of unemployed people went down to 486,000, according to the National Institute for Statistics. The figure is by 3,000 people smaller than in February, and also smaller than in March 2016, when it stood at 561,000. The unemployment rate among men is 5.7% while among women is 4.9%.



    LABOUR MARKET – Of all EU member states, Romania registered in 2016 the lowest number of people in the 15-64 age bracket who had an employment contract on a definite period of time, that is 1.4%, whereas the European average stood at 14.2%, a report issued by Eurostat on Tuesday shows. According to the figures, Spain is ranking at the opposite end of the classification with 26.1% and Poland with 27.5%. As regards the 15-24 year age bracket, the European average of people who have an employment contract on a definite period of time stood at 43.8%. The lowest percentage points were also reported by Romania – 5.3%.



    TRAVEL ALERT – The U.S. Department of State issued a travel alert for Europe on Monday, citing the continued threat of terror attacks. In the alert, the Department of State mentioned recent incidents in France, Russia, Sweden and the United Kingdom, saying Islamic State and al Qaeda have the ability to plan and execute terrorist attacks in Europe. Malls, government facilities, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, parks, airports and other locations are all possible targets for attacks, the State Department’s alert said. The alert is valid until September the 1st. Washingtons previous alert of this kind expired in February.



    EUROVISION – Over 200 competitors from 20 countries have arrived in Kiev these days to get ready for the Eurovision Song Contest, including Romanias representatives, Ilinca and Alex Florea. In the second semi-final, due on May 11, the two will be performing the song “Yodel it! composed by Mihai Alexandru. The head of the Romanian delegation, Iuliana Marciuc, told a press conference that the song has already caught public interest.