Health Unions Threaten Strike Over Pay Act

Healthcare workers could resume a general strike amid tensions surrounding the new Pay Act. Iulian Pope, president of the Sanitas Federation, states that the trade unions have not yet received any draft of the proposed legislation.

The situation deteriorated after the dismissed minister Dragoș Pîslaru sent the draft legislation to the European Commission without any prior extensive consultation with social partners. Pope alleges that the authorities could subsequently use the agreement with Brussels as grounds to implement the measures without any genuine negotiation with workers in the sector.

What the Sanitas leader has to say

Iulian Pope stated: "Thanks to you, the press, we found out about this ourselves. The same scenario is repeating itself — I believe this is the third time we've lived through it. That is, the Minister of Labour consulting the European Commission first, without us, the social partners, having access to or knowledge of the content of the draft legislation."

He went on to say: "I understand that the political parties are not familiar with it either. Yet we've seen his statements, in which he says it's a law that neither the parties nor the presidency can refuse. In principle, if we are not satisfied with this law, we will act accordingly."

Pope added that he does not rule out a scenario in which the Romanian authorities justify the measures by citing requirements imposed by the European Commission, as has happened before: "This scenario could well play out, with them telling us — as the Romanian state, its representatives, have told us on numerous occasions — that this is what the Commission decided, this is what the European Commission wants."

According to the trade union leader, the situation is identical to what it was a month ago: "We are in exactly the same position as we were a month ago — nothing has changed. We haven't received any draft, only consultations, with no clarity on which of our proposals are accepted and which are not."