Romanian trade unions speak against the austerity measures prepared by the nascent ruling coalition

The austerity measures that have been circulated in the media "are unacceptable," trade union Cartel Alfa leader Bogdan Hossu told president Nicușor Dan at the discussions held at Cotroceni Palace on June 16.

The trade union federation Cartel Alfa argued that bonuses and salaries should not be cut without detailed analysis, because "this would lead to a fall in purchasing power, which is already being eroded by the high inflation we are facing," Hossu said, quoted by Hotnews.ro.

During the discussions, the National Trade Union Bloc (BNS) submitted a series of eight measures "for a sustainable process of reducing the budget deficit." Among the main proposals, BNS wants the (suspended) collective contracts' legislation set in place and an audit of public institutions in order to size the human resources correctly. It also wants the Authority for Monitoring Performance Indicators of Public Enterprises to be set in place in line with the Resilience Facility targets, real actions against TAC evasion, and a revised royalty system for the exploitation of concessioned natural resources.

At the same time, the BNS expressed its opposition to any salary reduction in the budgetary sector that is not based on an objective and transparent analysis, as well as to the introduction of rudimentary taxes, such as the "tax on any banking transactions."

(Photo: Presidency.ro)