Tens of Senate employees spontaneously protested on Tuesday in front of the office of Senate President Ilie Bolojan, following the institution's leadership decision to reduce the staff by 24%.
Ilie Bolojan, who was holding a press conference when tens of dissatisfied employees gathered in the hallway, explained that the staff reduction would take place following a competition and that, for many of the employees, fixed-term employment contracts would need to be signed - for the duration of the official's tenure.
Bolojan approached the protesters and attempted to speak with them, but the strong vocal protests from the employees covered out his voice, accusing him of "not knowing their real problems."
"I have great respect for the people who work in the Senate, who are professionals. Dear colleagues, please listen to me! There will be fair competitions, and those who master the job will win them. Political sinecures will end. I'm sorry. This is the situation. I have discussed with the unions, I accept any discussion, but if you think you can change anything this way, it will not happen. Reductions are not comfortable, but respect for the citizens must be proven not through boos, but through respect for what we do. (...) "Those who are professionals have nothing to fear, but those who came without a competition and cannot justify their existence, do you think it is normal for them to be paid? Let's finish this once and for all! The competitions will be according to the law," Bolojan said.
The employees informed the Senate president that they would take legal action against the institution through a "large-scale collective lawsuit."
"This is a spontaneous protest. We are the ones who ensure continuity. You can't keep saying that you want to change people all the time. (...) If we start over every time, in 4 years we will never have specialists. Continuous specialisation is necessary. I came here alongside my colleagues considering the gross illegality being committed by the current ephemeral leadership of the Senate. (...) Nothing from the so-called consultations has been taken into consideration. The Romanian Parliament is not a city hall, nor a county council. The Romanian Parliament makes laws. If it weren't for our expertise, there would be no laws, and a rule of law state couldn't function. We are very determined to take legal action against the institution through a collective lawsuit of unprecedented scale. The reorganisation is unnecessary because the current staff ensures the smooth operation of the institution," said adviser Cristina Tarteata from the Transport Committee.
She argued that the "parliamentary public servant has always been demonised," highlighting that the average net salary of these employees is 6,000 lei, "much lower than those of other institutions that don't hold the same importance." AGERPRES