Interior Ministry Unionists To Picket Parliament Over Layoff Bill

05.08.2011 ZF English

The National Union of Police and Contracted Personnel (SNNPC), which states it represents more than 50,000 employees of the Romanian Interior Ministry, will picket the Parliament on Tuesday, in an effort to get the ministry layoff bill rejected.

SNNPC announced that both union members and their families will take part in the protest.

The unionists argue that the bill, to be voted on Tuesday, will lay off a large number of Interior Ministry employees, as well as terminate a series of rights to which they are entitled. In addition, they say, the bill is contrary to the Strategy for public order adopted by the Government through a decision in 2010.

SNNPC accuses the ministry of feeding the Parliament's committees false information on the number of current police agents.

The union warns that the layoffs will affect the quality of public order in Romania and even the country's accession to the Schengen Area.

On May 2, the Chamber of Deputies committees for administration and for defense decided, in the absence of members of the opposition, to approve the bill on Interior Ministry layoffs. The next day, the deputies adopted the bill by articles. The final vote is scheduled for Tuesday.

The Chamber of Deputies is the deciding house. The Senate has rejected this bill.