Some of Romania’s postal workers, members of the Romanian Postal Workers Union, have gone on strike for higher wages on Monday, April 1. The government has intervened, promising a new salary grid in the coming days.

The management of Romania’s national postal company Posta Romana has reacted to the recently declared strike, acknowledging the decision of the Romanian Postal Workers Union to initiate a collective labor dispute in the form of a general strike on April 1. The company emphasizes that the escalation of the labor conflict is “artificial,” and that it has taken all necessary measures to overcome it.

"We assure the more than two million pensioners who receive their social rights through the National Company 'Poșta Română' that they will receive their rights [pensions] on time, in April," the company said. 

"I want to assure, first and foremost, all the more than 2 million pensioners who receive their social rights through the National Company 'Poșta Română' that there will be no one who will not receive their rights on time, in April! All pensions will be distributed on time, by April 15, as we have committed so far!" stated Valentin Ștefan, the general director of Poșta Română. 

The management of the state-owned company also says that its requests for mediation have been met with refusals from the postal union.

Company representatives also say that the overwhelming majority, over 80% of employees, will perform their duties with professionalism, as before. About 20% of the company's employees have joined the collective labor dispute.

Romania’s Postal Workers Union, in turn, says that the company has sent employees from the central Bucharest office to the logistics hub in Cluj to replace those who are protesting.

"The National Trade Union Bloc, through the Romanian Postal Workers Union, reports the first pressures being exerted on postal workers, union members of the SLPR, who wish to go on strike," the unionists claim, cited by ProTV.

They also present images that they say show 13 employees of Poșta Română, sent from Bucharest, to replace those who went on strike at the Cluj Regional Logistics and Courier Hub. The Union also states that employees were sent to Târgoviște.

The unionists claim that it is well known that many employees of Poșta Română have salaries at the minimum wage level. They ask for an increase of RON 400 (EUR 80.5) in the net salaries of employees, as well as an increase in certain bonuses. 

"The company's management responded to these demands by creating an in-house union, led by the former general director of the company and former advisor to the current general director, with whom it signed an agreement promising postal workers salary increases that the [national] law imposes in July 2024. Postal workers have refused to be manipulated and are determined to strike. We ask the beneficiaries of the services provided by Poșta Română, mainly pensioners and social categories just as poor as the postal workers, to stand by us and to demand together with us from the company's management and the competent authorities, the quickest resolution of our demands," the union stated.

The striking union members also asked for the involvement of the government, through the Ministry for Digitalization led by minister Bogdan Ivan.

The minister, in turn, announced that work is underway on 'some scenarios as realistic as possible regarding wage increases, which should be as close as possible to what the unionists are requesting, according to Digi24. He also mentioned that a new salary grid will be ready in at most a few days to increase the salaries of 17,000 people.

Postal employees also sent letters to the leaders of the governing coalition, Marcel Ciolacu and Nicolae Ciucă, announcing that they have a net monthly salary of RON 2100 (EUR 422) and stating that they are at their breaking point. It is important to note that the net average wage in Romania in December 2023 stood at RON 5,079 (EUR 1,022).

Earlier this year, the president of the National Trade Union Bloc (BNS), Dumitru Costin, requested that both the government’s representatives and the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) investigate the managerial activity within the postal service company Posta Romana.

radu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Blocul National Sindical on Facebook)