Romanian Govt To Scrap Some 2,000 Jobs In Ministries, Govt-Run Agencies - Deputy PM

Romanian deputy prime minister Dan Nica said Monday after a meeting between governing coalition partners, social democrats and democrat liberals, that about 2,000 people from the central administration will be fired.

He said those employees whose only daily concern is to have their coffee will leave, while those who have something to do will stay.

Asked whether coalition leaders discussed the government's recent decision to cut 20% of the staff in the central public administration, Nica said the Finance Ministry expects to receive Monday proposals from ministries to lay off excessive staff, hired "irresponsibly" over the past two years, and which led to a tripling of staff in the central administration.

Asked how many employees would be sacked, Nica said a clear number has not been established yet.

"We estimate the number is at around 2,000 and this is all excess staff that was hired for no economic reason and that led to a doubling and even tripling of the number of employees in ministries. They have very high salaries and their only activity is drinking coffee," Nica said.

The government decided Thursday to cut 20% of jobs in the central public administration, namely from ministries and government agencies, without affecting the entire public sector.

Mediafax