Healthcare Unions Displeased With Government’s Proposed Wages
Trade unions in the healthcare sector are displeased with the salaries proposed by the government in the unitary pay bill and threaten with protests on lack of certain amendments.
The Hipocrat trade union on Tuesday said it disagrees with the draft government emergency ordinance regarding the salary system and threatened to stage protests as of next week.
Over 150 doctors rallied outside the Health Ministry headquarters last Thursday, to protest against low wages and their being overloaded with work. Bogdan Tanase, head of Physicians’ Alliance, said doctors expect the outcome of the ministry’s impact study on the number of night shifts.
Protesters were on go-slow strike between March 21 and 27, and on March 28, they voiced out their demands in the Chamber of Deputies (at the committee for healthcare issues). On March 31 and April 7, they picketed the Labor and Health Ministries and, between April 11 and 17, they are scheduled to stage a warning strike. On April 18 they plan to go on a full-blown strike.
Healthcare employees’ demands target, among others, the enforcement of the provisions of Law 284/2010 regarding a unitary pay system in the healthcare sector too, the granting of all bonuses, calculated based on the actual wage, including the bonus for difficult working conditions and the PhD bonus, the observance of labor norms, of the working time and rest time for all categories of healthcare staff, by reducing, up to the point of eliminating the staff shortage which only leads to piles of work and limited rest time. (Adevarul)
Personal Bankruptcy Law To Take Effect On June 1
The Chamber of Deputies’ committee for legal matters on Tuesday rejected government’s proposition to put off the enforcement of the personal bankruptcy law until January 1, 2017.
The committee, however, adopted an amendment which sets the enforcement of the law on June 1, 2016.
The Chamber of Deputies, which is decider on the matter, will issue the final vote.
End-March, the Senate rejected with 63 cons and 20 pros a Government Emergency Ordinance putting off the enforcement of the personal bankruptcy law.
One of social democrat senators, Gabriela Cretu, recently asked her party fellows to reject the ordinance, arguing the personal insolvency law would have solved more coherently the problems between people and banks, without the need of a law on debt discharge. Another social democrat senator, Sorin Bota, blasted the Government for failing to publish the norms needed for the enforcement of the personal insolvency law.
The law regulating the personal bankruptcy procedure for natural persons sets that people unable to pay their debts, through no fault of their own, can reschedule their debts based on a financial recovery plan, over a five-year period. (Puterea)
Chamber Of Deputies Expected To Give Final Vote On Debt Discharge Law On Wednesday
The Chamber of Deputies is expected to give the final vote on the law on debt discharge on Wednesday, after its committee for legal matters adopted the law last Tuesday.
Deputies in the legal committee decided the government-backed mortgage lending First Home program will not remain subject to the provisions of the law, while the maximum ceiling which will be considered when enforcing the law will increase from EUR150,000 to EUR250,000. The law will also be applicable to properties subject to foreclosure procedures.
Fitch Ratings recently said the proposed law on debt discharge, allowing retail mortgage borrowers to return real estate collateral to banks in exchange for writing off their loans, could disrupt the Romanian banking sector’s improving performance.
As per the law on debt discharge, a debtor, instead of paying a debt he/she owes in money, satisfies his/her creditor by giving in payment a movable or immovable. (Adevarul)
PSD And UNPR To Sign Collaboration Protocol On Thursday
Valeriu Steriu, head of the National Union for the Progress of Romania (UNPR), said the party he runs and the Social Democratic Party (PSD) will sign a protocol of collaboration on Thursday for the upcoming local elections.
The protocol sets the endorsement of social democrat candidates for mayoral seats in Bucharest six districts and for Bucharest general mayor, as well as joint lists for Bucharest general councilors.
The protocol will be signed by Gabriela Firea, as interim president of PSD’s Bucharest branch, and UNPR leaders. (Puterea)
Liberals To Back Marian Munteanu For Bucharest Mayor
The National Liberal Party (PNL) said it would back Marian Munteanu for Bucharest mayor, but this decision sparked mixed reactions among liberals.
MEP Cristian Busoi said he will support Munteanu, while Chamber of Deputies lawmaker Teodor Paleologu said this proposition is one of the Liberal Party’s slippages.
The Liberal Party’s unification committee decided to propose Marian Munteanu as candidate for Bucharest mayor and the proposition is pending validation by the National Political Office.
Munteanu is a former leader of the anti-government protests that took place in 1990 in Romania and were ended violently by the intervention of the miners (the Mineriad). Munteanu was the leader of the Students’ League, which was one of organizers of the protests against Ion Iliescu’s rule. On June 14, 1990, he was severely beaten. A miner was later imprisoned for attempted murder following witnesses’ declarations that he had tried to kill Munteanu using an axe. He was arrested and detained at Jilava between June 18 and August 2, 1990. (Adevarul)