Members of the National Trade Union Confederation „Cartel ALFA” protested on Thursday in front of the Cotroceni presidential palace, demanding a fair tax reform, in which the burden would be fairly distributed between capital and labour.

At the same time, the trade unionists demand that any measures to reduce public spending start first with political decision-makers (parties and parliamentarians), by reducing subsidies and eliminating privileges and immediately stopping austerity measures, which hit workers and citizens.

Other demands aim at the correct resizing of the public administration, not through cuts, but through investments in human resources, and a real and inclusive social dialogue, with the participation of all actors – unions, employers and the civil society.

Representatives of the trade union organisation demand an active presidency, which would mediate social conflicts and guarantee social justice.

„Despite post-electoral promises regarding transparency, real consultation and orientation of policies towards the needs of society, the coalition decision-makers continue to ignore the voice of workers and unions. The strength of workers is solidarity, and now, more than ever, we must make ourselves heard! Romania is in a deep social and economic crisis, and the authorities’ response consists of austerity measures, despite clear evidence that the deficit problem is essentially determined by the inability to collect and by a retrograde fiscal system that does not provide sufficient revenues to adequately support public infrastructure and the expenses necessary for the functioning of the state apparatus,” reads a press release of the trade union organization, published on its Facebook page on June 10.

AGERPRES