Bro, grab a coffee and sit down, let me tell you what I found out today. Our government, the one that brags about reforms, wants to pass a new salary law by July 1st - supposedly it's a milestone from the PNRR, European money, you know how it goes. But check this out: the unions from Police, Health, and Education are ready to protest. Labor Minister Dragoș Pîslaru admitted that some grids "aren't well set" and said he'll try to fix them. Aaaa, and he's also going to Brussels to see if he can postpone the raises for dignitaries - because that's the thing that pissed everyone off, no joke! I mean, they raise their own salaries, and leave us with our mouths hanging.
And now, listen to what Vasile Zelca, head of the National Police Union, says. This guy sent the Ministry a 10-page document with observations. He says: "For sure there will be protests if we're not satisfied." And he gives downright hallucinatory examples: if a deputy police chief is promoted to chief, his salary drops. Yes, you heard right, promoted and paid less! For a soldier, the rank salary dropped from 1,500 lei gross to 410 lei gross. That's like three and a half times less. And here's the slick move: the minister says if the salary comes out lower, they pay a compensatory sum. But lawyers say that doesn't count toward pension or bonuses. So basically, you get the same money now, but in the long run you lose. That's a real scam, bro! Zelca says some people's incomes could drop by 1,000-1,500 lei per month. If that's not a reason to revolt, then what is?
And it's not just the cops who are pissed. SANITAS, the health federation, announced they reject any form of the law that wasn't consulted with them. They've scheduled a protest in Victoriei Square and at Parliament on June 3rd. They say the PNRR - Milestone 449, if you remember - clearly states that unions must be consulted. Otherwise, the European Commission might not give the money. Well, if our country is run like this, I'm not surprised we keep delaying the tranches.
Neither are the teachers happy. The pre-university education unions say the new grid doesn't bring the promised raises and the effects are minimal. In Iași, for example, the Executive Bureau of the Free Unions Union in Pre-University Education has already rejected the project. And so, from Police to School to Hospital, everyone is disappointed.
But let's see what the experts say too. Economist Adrian Negrescu, whom I heard on TV, says the law doesn't eliminate privileges. He says: "It's not a unitary salary law, because we have institutions like ANRE, ASF, the National Bank, where salaries are several times higher than the Romanian president's. Nobody touches those." And he also says this law is Phanariot-style: the dignitaries and privileged are favored, and the "plebs" - that's us - should be happy to get a salary. He also warned that the budget can't handle it: "Where will the government find another 8 billion lei, on top of the 167 billion it pays annually for public sector employees from loans?" And he concludes: either freeze salaries for years, or make massive layoffs.
Economics professor Radu Nechita - whom I've mentioned before at the terrace - says the main problem is that we have too many state employees. He says: "We have too many compared to the private sector's capacity. Some agencies give stamps formally, without responsibility, sometimes in exchange for shoeboxes." You know how it is, bribery, kickbacks, cronyism. Somewhere we have a deficit, elsewhere a surplus. Neither blanket increases nor blanket cuts solve the structural problems, he says.
Finally, consultant Mona Bardos - although she's a businesswoman, maybe she's got a point - says the law can bring more clarity and predictability, but the effects depend on implementation. That is, some will stay the same, others will have adjustments. And she warns that if incomes drop for some public sector workers, they'll migrate to the private sector. And eliminating the 60-70 bonuses can be good for transparency, but it needs to be explained well, otherwise scandals will erupt.
Now, what can I say, bro? If you ask me, this whole thing is a big mess. On one hand, the government is rushing to pass the law to get European money, on the other hand, the unions are threatening protests. And so, us ordinary Romanians, we're stuck between a rock and a hard place. Well, I'm off to tell Mioara not to hope for any raise this year, because maybe we'll catch a protest in front of the building and get a day off!
