New fiscal-budgetary decisions are not austerity measures, assures Romanian Prime Minister
Romania’s Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă said that the fiscal-budgetary decisions the government plans to take are not austerity measures, but are aimed at better spending of budget money. Prime Minister Ciucă tried to allay fears insisting that there is no intention to freeze salaries in the public system. He also said that the coalition had discussed taxing the incomes of budget workers who earn more than the president of the country, but no decision had yet been taken. Social Democrat Party (PSD) President Marcel Ciolacu said that the governing coalition has discussed additional taxation of accumulated income from pension and state salary, where it exceeds the president’s allowance, which is about 25,000 lei gross (5,000 euro). The measure would be debated after the Finance Ministry comes up with an analysis of the impact of such a proposal.
Education trade unions demand higher wages
Several hundred education workers protested on Tuesday in front of Victoria Palace, the seat of the Romanian Government, unhappy with the current salaries of both teaching and non-teaching staff. The unions do not agree with the measures the executive is preparing to reduce budget spending, saying they will have a negative impact on employees in the system. „We have always been wronged. Education has always come last. We have been promised for 30 years to increase the percentage of GDP and we are underestimated. We have become the shame of the Romanian economy, we who educate, we who create tomorrow’s generation,” said one protester. More than 15,000 teachers and other education workers will take part in a protest march to the government headquarters in Bucharest on 10 May.
Seasonal jobs in HoReCa and tourism on the rise in Romania
The number of seasonal jobs in HoReCa and tourism increased in Romania by 25% in April compared to the beginning of the year. The most sought-after positions in HoReCa are for bartenders, waiters and cooks, with salaries ranging from 500 euro to 1,500 euro per month. In tourism, employers are looking for tour guides, receptionists, restaurant managers, event coordinators and hotel managers, with salaries ranging from 500 euro to 1,500 euro. Nationally, most seasonal jobs are available in predominantly tourist cities such as Bucharest, Constanta, Brasov or Cluj-Napoca. The number of jobs available in retail sales is also up by 15%. In civil and shipbuilding, 17% more jobs are available both abroad and in the country./mbaciu
Magda Baciu – RADOR
