Romanian president asks ruling coalition to restore public sector salaries by June 1

Romania will have to find solutions to increase salaries of state employees by June 1, after the austerity measures taken in 2010 prevented Romania suffering the same fate as Greece, said Romanian president Traian Basescu during his speech in the Parliament earlier today (March 7).

Some of the cuts in public sector salaries were reversed at the beginning of 2011, said Basescu. "I think it is my duty and yours to restore salaries around June 1. […] You will have my support, if your talent and the Government's talent measure up to the moment and to the need to restore the revenues of those paid from the state budget,” said the Romanian president. The president also asked the Parliament to focus on creating jobs in the country, by allowing the reopening of mines, which have returned to profitability. He said he would not go into the economic details of whether Romania has the money to to do or if it needs foreign investments in the mining sector. Salaries in the public sector – including teachers – went through a 25 percent cut in 2010, with the promise that they would be restored at a later date, when budgets would have allowed. editor@romania-insider.com