Public administration unions in Romania protest planned 20% workforce cuts

The National Federation of Public Administration Trade Unions (FNSA) has voiced strong opposition to a government proposal to reduce staffing levels in local public administration by 20%, warning that the move could paralyse essential services.

The reform plan, published this week for public consultation by the Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration, envisages the elimination of 40,000 positions in local government under what the ministry describes as an efficiency drive, Economedia.ro reported.

In a statement, FNSA criticised the proposal as “a forced amputation of the state’s administrative capacity”, noting that a 10% personnel reduction was already implemented last year.

“In the most undersized system, the government is applying another 20% reduction in personnel. This is not reform, but administrative blockage,” the federation said.

The union warned that the cuts would affect services such as issuing official documents, managing social benefits, collecting local taxes, and maintaining public infrastructure. It urged the government to reconsider the plan, arguing that efficiency could be achieved through investment in digitalisation and training rather than layoffs.

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