Big Romanian union federation asks Govt. to withdraw emergency ordinance on criminal laws

Cartel ALFA, one of the biggest trade union federations in Romania, expressed solidarity with the protests against the emergency ordinance bringing changes to the criminal laws and asked the government to withdraw it, local news agency Mediafax reports. Cartel ALFA currently reunites 45 professional federations, from various fields, and both the public and private sectors. It coordinates the activity of 42 inter-professional, regional trade unions. “We believe the emergency adoption of this normative act, the way it was done, without respecting the preliminary notice procedure (which prevented a normal and timely reaction), despite the vehement public reaction, of that of the state institutions which spoke against it, in the absence of the notice from the Superior Council of Magistracy, is an act of defiance from the government, which cannot be accepted in a democratic society. More than this, this way of governing creates a dangerous and extremely worrying precedent for other draft laws that are scheduled for the upcoming period, on the short term, according to the governing schedule: the health law, the education law, the budget pay law, the public servant law, the economic law, etc.,” a statement from the federation reads, quoted by Mediafax. The federation said that, in order to follow the principles of “efficiency, responsibility, credibility, transparency and openness towards the citizen,” the Social Democratic Party (PSD) should ask the government to withdraw the ordinance. “Those who gave their trust to the Social Democrat Party did so based on a government promise that would put at the forefront repairing the major social inequities that polarize society, pushing more and more citizens each year into poverty, a real dialogue with social actors, inclusive public policies aimed at growth and creating jobs, and the increase of public investment in education, health and infrastructure,” the federation said. The Government adopted yesterday an emergency ordinance to change the Penal Code, which decriminalizes or reduces the criminal punishments for corruption offences such as abuse of office, conflict of interest, and negligence at work. Thousands rally in Bucharest, other Romanian cities for night protests against changes to criminal law editor@romania-insider.com