Romanian policemen started a protest on Wednesday morning, December 3, in front of the Ministry of Finance.

They were complaining of not having received the 13th salary, not even after five years, and of the fact that overtime hours have not been paid, reports local Digi24. They are also not satisfied with the low salaries, asking for a 10% increase.

“The policemen’s salaries haven’t been raised in seven years, the salary rights cut during the Boc governance haven’t been given back, because of the Ministry of Interior’s underfunding and many other issues related to money,” said Iulian Surugiu, president of the Federation of Democratic Trade Unions of Policemen.

Some of the policemen were protesting in chains and Surugiu says that, through this gesture, they want to transmit that the Romanian Police’s mentality is a communist one.

“The policemen’s rights are not respected by their superiors, the policemen are considered pariah. No one minds. Of 54,000 policemen, 37,000 are registered with heart diseases and gastrointestinal problems,” said Surugiu, according to Digi24.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com