BNS concerned plans to change Kurzarbeit law turn employees into puppets at employers' whim

The proposals of the Minister of Labor and Social Protection regarding the change of the law on flexible work turn the employees into puppets at the permanent disposal of the employers, argue the representatives of the National Trade Union Bloc (BNS). The trade union organization expressed concerns about LabMin Raluca Turcan's announced plans to amend OUG No. 132/2020 so as to extend the measure indefinitely, by including the possibility for the employer to give the employee short notice as to whether he will call him to work the next day and by granting the employer the right to cut the employee's daily, weekly or monthly work schedule by up to 80 percent. "Through these proposals, Ms. Minister Turcan undermines the very raison d'ętre of OUG No. 132/2020, as described in the preamble of the ordinance. The ordinance speaks of the protection of both parties to an employment relationship, employer and employee, in the context of social and economic limitations caused by the pandemic. The amendment proposed by Ms. Minister entirely removes the interests of the employees from this instrument, both as regards the protection of their health and safety, and as regards support for their livelihoods. The interests of the employees simply don't matter to Ms. Minister in this equation, because otherwise we don't understand why she would set in place the legislative framework for turning them into 'puppets' at the permanent disposal of employers," BNS said in a release today. The trade union argues that the changes that are meant to support the employers affect the workers. "Ms. Minister is actually telling us how she intends to support the employers. What Ms. Turcan does not say publicly is who will bear the costs of this measure. We do have the answer to this possible question. It's for certain that upon the enforcement of the measures planned by Ms. Turcan, the business environment will shoulder no cost and no risk, the Minister herself says this. (...) Two entities remain in the equation that will definitely bear the cost of this measure: the employee who will see their salary decrease to a greater extent than at present (they were currently receiving a salary that could not be less than 85 percent of the salary in the employment contract, but after the introduction of the proposed changes the employee's salary may be reduced by as much as 80 percent of the amount provided for in the work contract); the general public and in particular the next generations, given that the financing of this measure is provided by loans, speeding up the growth pace of the public debt," the BNS release also states. The National Trade Union Bloc considers that since they want legislation on flexible work to become permanent, the employers' organizations should put in an additional financial contribution. AGERPRES (RO - author: Andreea Marinescu, editor: Mariana Nica; EN - author: Simona Klodnischi, editor: Simona Iacob)