Employers often don't respect work contracts in Romania, report finds

Labor contracts are often not respected by employers in Romania and the penalties for such acts are minor and rarely enforced, but the rights of employees are, for the most part, respected, says a Freedom House report on workers’ rights around the world. NGO Freedom House says the majority of Romanian employees "have the legal right to establish and join trade unions, and at least five countrywide union confederations operate largely without government interference." Categories which are not permitted to join unions include magistrates, prison and law enforcement employees, prosecutors and high government officials. They have, however, formed various organizations. Freedom House says penalties for anti-union activities are weak and rarely enforced. "While less than half of the workforce is unionized, nearly all workers are covered by collective-bargaining contracts, whether at the unit level or through four-year national agreements negotiated by the government, employers' associations, and trade unions," reads the report. Still, labor contracts "are often violated by employers, and enforcement and penalties are not robust." Mediafax Get the entire report on labor in different countries from here (pdf document)