Civil servants plan general strike to protest Government decision

The draft legislation regarding teacher wages was passed by Parliament, subsequently appealed through the Constitutional Court by the government, which argued that there was no indication where funds would come from for the wage hike. The court ruled that the draft is constitutional, and President Traian Basescu signed the legislation last Friday.

However, in its meeting on Tuesday, the government decided that the deadline for the application of the law will be put off until 1 April 2009.

The response was immediate, with some 150,000 civil servants threatening to stage protests in Bucharest from 3-15 November, to demand higher public sector wages, according to CNSRL Fratia trade union federation leader, Marius Petcu. Furthermore, “as of  Monday, more than 30,000 teachers from Spiru Haret [trade union] will go on general strike, while Sanitas [medical personnel union] will organize its own protest in Bucharest on 11 November 11, where some 10,000 people will attend,” Petcu said. (NewsIn)