800,000 strike in Romania over public sector cuts

ABOUT 800,000 Romanians went on strike yesterday to protest against planned pay cuts, as support grew in parliament for a vote that could topple the crisis-hit minority government.

Across the country, many hospitals accepted only emergency admissions, schoolteachers supervised children without conducting lessons, and workers in local and national administration stayed at home in the latest sign of unrest over austerity measures.

Public transport was not affected, but train staff said they might hold their own strike unless the government scrapped planned job cuts, which are part of a package of reforms that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) demanded from Romania in return for a €20 billion loan.

The government wants over time to cut public-sector jobs and wages as a proportion of the national budget. While Liberal Democrat (PLD) prime minister Emil Boc urged unions to continue talks over the reforms, his ally, president Traian Basescu, said the controversial Bill to cut wages was essential if Romania was to escape an even deeper economic crisis.

“I’m not saying it’s good that everybody’s unhappy with it, but the strike is a signal that it’s a fair Bill,” Mr Basescu said. “If some cried over it while others laughed, the Bill would have raised suspicions as to its fairness.”

The strike came days after the ruling alliance collapsed following claims by a member of the Social Democrats that their PLD coalition partners planned to rig next month’s presidential elections.

The Social Democrats withdrew their ministers from cabinet, leaving the PLD with a minority government, and announced yesterday that they would support a move by another opposition party to hold a parliamentary vote of no-confidence in the government.

“This government is no longer legitimate, so we will back a no-confidence vote,” said Social Democrat leader Mircea Geoana.

Mr Geoana is expected to stand against Mr Basescu in the presidential election.