Unions getting ready for general strike

Education, healthcare, local and central administration, home affairs and civil servants' unions yesterday set up an alliance of unions in the civil sector, Aurel Cornea, President of the Federation of Free Trade Unions in Education (FSLI) informed during a press conference yesterday, according to Agerpres.

The unions will act 'in good faith, with solidarity and with respect of their respective autonomy' in order to make the Government renounce its intention to assume responsibility in Parliament for the draft single pay law in the public system and in order to have the draft re-negotiated and tabled in Parliament to undergo regular debating procedures. Other aims of the new alliance are: to stop layoffs in the public sector and to oppose the ten day unpaid leave imposed by the government, Cornea added. According to him, the alliance will organise a series of industrial actions such as picketing the Parliament on September 15, one day general strike in the entire public sector on October 5 and non-participation of public sector workers in the organization of the presidential election.

The members of the new alliance are the 'Alma Mater' National Federation of Unions, the 'Spiru Haret' Federation of Education Trade Unions, the Federation of Education Trade Unions, The SANITAS Federation, the National Federation of Finance Trade Unions, The National Federation of Local Administration Trade Unions, the National federation of Labour Trade Unions, the National Federation of Trade Unions in the Field of Statistics, The 'Publisind' National Fedeartion of Trade Unions in the Public Administration, the National Federation of Trade Unions in the National Prison Administration System and the National Trade Union of Policemen and Police Contractual Personnel.

'We have made our decision today (September 10), our alliance giving the possibility of 1,4 M workers in the public sector to ally for a common purpose. We cannot accept that people we mandate make commitments without consulting with us', said the Executive President of the 'Spiru Haret' Federation of Education Trade Unions, Marius Nistor.

Others still to join the alliance

The President of the National Federation of Finance Trade Unions, Vasile Marica, stated that nearly 800,000 people would go on strike on October 5. 'If this alliance fails to reach its purpose, hopes of our members will go down. We are being told that more unions will join our alliance', Marica said.

'Alma Mater' National Federation of Trade Unions Razvan Bobulescu said that education staff would be on 'total' strike on October 5, another reason for that being the fact that October 5 is the Teacher's day. In his opinion, the leaders of union confederations overstepped their mandates during negotiations with the Government.

SANITAS Federation First Vice-President Adrian Barea in turn says the single pay law in the public system tries to cut some rights, because salaries will drop on January 1, 2010. The leaders asked their union members not to offer their technical support for the presidential election on November 22. 'We have had enough of other people, so-called union leaders with no public sectors structures in their membership negotiating on our behalf', said Marius Nistor, President of 'Spiru Haret'

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