Press Review - September 27, 2017

09.27.2017 By Oana Gavrila

Hundreds of Schools in Romania Lack Security Guards, Surveillance Cameras

Hundreds of schools, high schools, and kindergartens in Romania lack security guards, surveillance cameras or both.

In Brasov, nearly half the school units lack both security guards and cameras, in Suceava, 16% of schools have security guards, while in Botosani, 75% of schools have either security guards or security cameras.

In Cluj, each school unit falls under the jurisdiction of a local police worker or gendarme,  apart from security systems which exist in some schools.

In Timis county, half of the schools lack security guards and cameras. Most of these are in rural areas.

In Constanta, around 400 schools have security, while 80 don't. The latter are mostly located on the outskirts of the county. In the city of Constanta, all schools have either security guards or cameras or both.

In Prahova, 95% of high schools have security cameras, while in Olt county, over 95% of schools have cameras.

Managers in Industry Expect Growth in Production Costs

Industry picked up a bit in August, after two months of decline in July and June, but growth is too slim to predict the start of a sustainable expansion, according to an industrial barometer index.

Six out of 11 indicators show small signs of recovery for the sector, but growth is still low.

New industrial orders grew slightly from 53 points in July to 55 points in August and growth was based more on domestic demand than exports. Exports fell to 46 points in August from 48 points in July.

Production costs grew to 63 points in August from 58 points in July.

Managers were less optimistic in August and expect production costs to grow over the next six months.

Iohannis Says Graft-Probed Ministers Should Resign

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said deputy prime minister Sevil Shhaideh and minister in charge of EU funds Rovana Plumb should resign from the Cabinet.

The two are investigated by anticorruption prosecutors for abuse of office in a land transfer case. Ruling Social Democratic Party seniors decided Monday to support the two probed ministers and not sack them.

“I want to believe Romania supports the rule of law and in a state where there is rule of law, people who are convicted, tried or investigated in criminal cases should not hold leading positions. Ideally, the ministers should have resigned. Otherwise, they should have been dismissed. It is not good that the Social Democratic Party has decided to shield them,” said president Iohannis.

Iohannis added it is for judges to establish whether the two ministers are guilty or not.

Average Net Salary in Romania Grew 10.1% in 2016

The net average salary in Romania stood at RON2,046 in 2016, 10.1% higher than in 2015, data from the country's statistics board showed.

The average gross monthly wage stood at RON2,809 in 2016, 9.9% higher than in 2015.

The highest monthly wages, above the national average, were in the IT&C sector, finance and banking, and the energy sector. At the opposite end, the lowest wages, below the national average, were in the hospitality industry, construction, and agriculture.

Women made around 7% less on average than men, with a net average RON1,968 a month in 2016, compared with an average RON2,116 a month earned by men.

Household Gas Prices to Grow 6% Starting October

The price of natural gas for household consumers will grow 6% as of October 1, a measure forecast since February, an official of the country's energy watchdog ANRE said Tuesday.

“On February 15 we estimated 10% growth in household gas prices for the full year and we are now able to say prices will rise 6% as of October,” said ANRE vice-president Emil Calota.

He added Romania has already contracted 60% of the natural gas volumes required for the winter period.