Up to 60,000 public sector workers to be laid off

More than 53,000 local administration employees will be laid off the following weeks, under an emergency ordinance passed by the government in its weekly session on Wednesday. These workers will be joined by thousands of others, mostly from various ministries' staff, which will likely push the total number of layoffs to 60,000, political sources quoted by Agerpres said.

Interior Minister Vasile Blaga said after the cabinet sitting that most workers will be sacked from the local public administration - a total of 53,432 people. According to calculations run by the government, the layoffs will help save RON 1.5 bln, accounting for a personnel reduction of 26.2 per cent and a cut in expenses of 29.1 per cent, the minister added, quoted by the news agency.

Layoffs will continue, in a first stage, with employees of the ministries of Administration and Interior, Labour, Education and Agriculture, political sources told Agerpres, adding that Prime Minister Emil Boc demanded ministers on Wednesday to quickly reform and restructure their institutions. Ministry layoffs, likely to amount to 6,000 people, would be enforced mainly by emergency ordinances, in ten days at most, the sources said. Moreover, all government agencies that were not created based on European Union directives or by organic laws will be dissolved and turned into ministry departments.

Blaga explained that three agencies under his ministry's command will layoff several people and the entire ministry will be then reorganised. He added that in a future government session, he will provide more details about the new ministry structure.

Labour Minister Mihai Seitan too announced yesterday, quoted by 'Romania libera,' that he will sack 367 employees from his ministry, which will also cut salary expenses by 25 per cent.

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