Wage freeze sparks Union protests in Romania
In Romania, Union Day was observed without the presence of the country's top leaders. President Klaus Iohannis and Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu did not attend the official ceremonies held in Iași and Focșani. The only high-ranking official in attendance was Senate President Ilie Bolojan, a member of the National Liberal Party.
Meanwhile, in Bucharest, public sector unions staged a third protest against the controversial "little train ordinance," which effectively freezes their wages.
"Since 2010, political measures have negatively impacted both my life and my income," one protester lamented. "Unpaid overtime constitutes roughly 40% of my income. My workload is incredibly heavy and I'm constantly overwhelmed. I've taken out loans to make ends meet. We all have families to support. This simply isn't acceptable."
Supporters of Călin Georgescu marched from Tineretului Park to Victoria Palace and joined the protest. "For 35 years, politicians have failed to represent our interests," one protester declared. "And as we can see, this political instability has directly impacted our livelihoods."
Romanian media reported minor scuffles between supporters of Călin Georgescu and the gendarmerie. The gendarmerie's press office claimed that the crowd had illegally occupied the unionists' platform in Victoria Square.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
