Press Review - August 2, 2017

08.02.2017 By Oana Gavrila

Defense Council Approves Army Endowment Plan

Romania's Supreme Defense Council on Tuesday approved the Romanian Army's endowment plan for the period 2017-2026, after the plan was withdrawn at the last council meeting.

The defense council meeting lasted less than an hour.

The council approved multiannual investments totaling EUR9.8 billion in arms, combat technique and military equipment.

Prison Guards Threaten To Go On Strike, Refuse Overtime

Unions representing employees in the penitentiary system announced employees will be refusing overtime and any other extra attributions as of August 1, threatening to go on strike.

Employees are set to picket offices of the Interior Ministry and the Government, demanding decent working conditions.

"The Romanian Government refuses to invest in improving working conditions, freezes hiring for vacant positions in the system, delays the application of measures to protect employees and adopts laws restraining salary rights and pensions,” unions said.

They added the National Penitentiary Administration's budget was cut by RON127 million this year and another RON57 million is set to be slashed at the upcoming budget revision.

"There are nearly 8,000 vacant positions in the penitentiary system and we have over 700,000 hours of overtime. One in six employees has left the system in the past two years and the government has frozen hiring,” said the union federation.

Interior Ministry Faced With Massive Retirement Amid Plans to Cap Special Pensions

Interior minister Carmen Dan said 700 retirement applications were filed Friday through Tuesday after the government announced planned to cap special pensions.

Dan said the ministry received 3,000 retirement applications since the beginning of the year and around 3,200 employees went into retirement in the first six months of the year.

The average value of special pensions for August is RON3,123. The highest pension currently paid to a former Interior Ministry employee is RON22,023 and goes to a former secretary of state, the minister said on Antena 3.

Transport Ministry to Tender 600 km of Highway By Year-End

Transport minister Razvan Cuc announced Tuesday tenders will be launched for 600 kilometers of highways by the end of the year.

He said works on 200 km of highways and expressways, totaling more than EUR3 billion, have been put up for tender so far this year.

“Among the largest projects, there is the first lot of the Sibiu-Pitesti highway, the Pitesti-Craiova expressway, the Bucharest southern ring-road, a 60 km section of Transylvania highway. We'll tender 600 km more by the end of the year, reaching a total of 800 km,” said Cuc.

Romania under Orange Code Warning for Heat Wave

Romania is under yellow code advisory for a heat wave Wednesday and Thursday, as temperatures are seen rising to 39 degrees Celsius.

The felt air temperature will be even higher as the heat index will exceed the critical threshold.

Temperatures will not drop below 20 degrees Celsius at night.

In large cities, temperatures will be 10-15 degrees higher at ground level.