Romanian opposition parties submit no-confidence motion over amended Labor Code

Romanian opposition lawmakers on Tuesday submitted a no-confidence motion in an attempt to oust the Government, which sought a vote of confidence to pass the new Labor Code. Social democrat lawmaker Mircea Dusa told a news conference the no-confidence motion targets both the vote of confidence procedure and the amendments to labor laws approved by the Government. The no-confidence motion is endorsed by 210 Members of the Parliament of the opposition Social Liberal Union (a political alliance made up of social democrats, liberals and conservatives). Romanian Chamber of Deputies Speaker Roberta Anastase said earlier Tuesday the opposition's no-confidence motion will be read out in plenary session Wednesday. According to her, the motion will likely be put to the vote next Wednesday, March 16. The new Romanian Labor Code has been received with discontent by unions in the country. Unionists said the amended Labor Code is a new form of slavery, as employers may operate collective layoffs anytime and hire new people the next day. The new code eliminates all mentions of the single national collective labor contract and sets the probationary employment period at no longer than 90 calendar days, for both regular and management positions. The labor unions oppose eliminating collective work contracts from the Code, arguing that terms such as working hours, conditions and minimum wage shall be abolished and workers might end up being paid less than they are worth. Mediafax