The main trade union confederations organized a demonstration in Bucharest on 16 March in protest at changes to the labour code prepared by the government, in consultation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the employers. The changes include: no collective agreements at national level, cross-sectoral or sectoral; greater possibilities to use temporary contracts; discretionary lay-offs, decided unilaterally by the employer, without prior notice; and pay and conditions set unilaterally by employers. The confederations are collecting signatures for a general strike that could be organized in April-May this year. They have also announced that they are going to send complaints to the European Commission and the European Court of Human Rights (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 4 February 2011).
English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/411
Romanian: http://www.cartel-alfa.ro/default.asp?nod=20&info=47921
This article was published in the Collective Bargaining Newsletter. It aims to facilitate information exchange between trade unions and to support the work of ETUC's collective bargaining committee. For more information, please contact the editor Maarten van Klaveren, Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies (AIAS) M.vanKlaveren@uva.nl. You may find further information on the ETUI at www.etui.org, and on the AIAS at www.uva-aias.net. © ETUI aisbl, Brussels 2011.