Hundreds of unionists, members of the National Trade Union Bloc (BNS), on Tuesday protest in front of the Government building, against the decision to transfer social contributions from employer to employee.
The unionists brought vuvuzelas, drums, whistles, and they are shouting “Thieves” and chanting slogans against the Prime Minister Mihai Tudose and Labour Minister Olguta Vasilescu.
They also carry banners reading: “Liviu Dragnea, you thief, leaving us without a piece,” “We were working and you disturbed us,” “I can’t go to bed, with the country in your hand,” “In democracy thieves stay in jail,” “PSD – the red plague,” “At night, you’ve stolen our dignity.”
Moreover, the protesters sang Romania’s anthem and kept a moment of silence for King Mihai I who died recently.
According to a BNS press release sent to AGERPRES, the National Trade Union Bloc protests to draw the attention of the Government with respect to the negative effects, on short, medium and long term, to be generated by the transfer of social contributions from the employer to employee.
“By transferring all social risks to the employee and destroying thus the system of collective negotiations they condemn workforce in Romania to precariousness in labour relations. The fundamental rights of workers are threatened, as chances to fair labour, based on trust and mutual respect, continue to degrade,” said the release.
BNS’s Costin: This protest is to remind that critical, unsolved issues still on our agenda
The National Trade Union Bloc (BNS)’s agenda still has critical, unsolved issues, therefore protests will go on, said on Tuesday this trade union bloc’s leader Dumitru Costin, after a rd 3-hour protest of over 2,000 trade unionists in front of the Gov’t’s seat, downtown Victoriei Square.
The people are dissatisfied with the Gov’t’s decision to switch the social contributions’ pay from employer to employee, says Costin.
“What has happened today is a message for the gov’t and the ruling coalition which should understand that we do not accept, under no circumstances, the conditions they have forced us to accept, regarding the issues we have raised. Moreover, our action of taking to the streets even if not over-spectacular or numerous, wishes to remind the fact that these critical, yet unsolved issues remain on our agenda. The political class, the gGv’t are waiting for us to turn a blind eye, to abandon fight and give up. Well, we won’t. Moreover, you’ll see at the BNS’s National Council in January 2018, I shall propose the participating delegations a motion that will aim to ceasing work,” Costin said.
“We talk about changing the legislation that is today so hostile to the workers, meaning that the right to free association is restricted, the right to strike is narrowed, the right to collective negotiations is also crippled. Another major objective is this unfortunate pay law, the one known as the Law no. 153, that has been sent to the Parliament, we couldn’t have any serious talks, negotiations and analyses on. It is only today that our state-run companies’ sector colleagues realise what bad consequences this law has for a large number of public employees. Not the least, the State Budget and Social Security draft law which in our opinion is far from attaining goals. As long as we enjoy a period of economic growth, having a budget where the public investments are comparable on paper with those of this year and last year…It is funny, because investments are the economic growth’s and job generator’s engine,” Costin stressed.
