After Just Two Weeks, Single Salary Policy Law, Subject To Negotiations Government Rushes Law Into Promulgation, Then Plans to Change It

• The first rounds of negotiation between the new Boc Government and the trade unions converge towards changing the Single Salary Policy Law

• Negotiations took place on the day PSD left the Government

Barely two weeks after expediting the adoption of the Single Salary Policy Law by taking responsibility for it before Parliament, the Government is considering changing it through an emergency ordinance.

Left without a majority in Parliament, after the ministers of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) resigned altogether, and facing the prospect of the all-out strike promised by the angered trade unions, the new Boc Government has already started negotiating changes to the Law.

"The trade unions on Thursday had a first round of negotiations with Prime Minister Emil Boc and Ministers Pogea and Videanu with regards to amending the Single Salary Policy Law for the public sector," Nicolae Cretu, Vice President of the Confederation of Democratic Unions in Romania (CSDR), told BURSA.

"The members of the Government are willing to accept to make changes to the Single Salary Policy Law through an emergency ordinance, but they asked us to give up the protests in exchange. We already have a schedule for the protests to take place in October, so we cannot give up on this type of union action. The negotiations for amending this law will continue," the CSDR vice president further announced.

According to him, the trade unions see but two options: either the law is amended, or an all-out strike begins. If the Government does not pass an emergency ordinance suspending the law for nine months, thus allowing sufficient time for the Government and the unions to re-negotiate the salary policy and the appendices, the trade unions representing public employees are prepared to go on an all-out strike of an indefinite duration, thus causing the Government to collapse, CSDR Vice President Nicolae Cretu added.

"Morally speaking, this Government should resign for what has happened with this law, but, since there is no honour around here, the only option is to use force," Cretu concluded.

• Trade unions: This law is a makeshift

Trade unions representing several lines of work have formed an alliance of the public employees and claim that the Single Salary Policy Law is unconstitutional. They are accusing the Government of not having consulted the unions and are convinced that the law is "a makeshift written in a hurry" and a source of discrimination among the various categories of public employees.

Soon after the Government took responsibility for the controversial law, even political leaders said that amendments could be made in the near future because "laws are never perfect, only perfectible." Moreover, the National Liberal Party (PNL) has already contested the Single Salary Policy Law in the Constitutional Court.

"This Government does not have sufficient professionals. The many imperfections in this law are proof of that. For instance, it does not contain a final master list of all the positions in the public sector. This is a very serious flaw that requires urgent attention, because not all public salaries can be defined," Bogdan Hossu, President of CNS Cartel ALFA told BURSA.

Asked whether amending the law would bear negative consequences on Romania"s relations with the International Monetary Fund, Bogdan Hossu said it could, but the IMF "is interested in including Romania"s commitments in the payroll."

The prospected changes to the public salaries will become effective as of 1 January 2010, but the union leaders are warning that the public employees will start feeling the effects as of 1 October 2009, because a number of pieces of legislation regarding salary increments will be cancelled.