The National Trade Union Bloc (BNS) requests the Executive to convene the Tripartite National Council for Social Dialogue, with the aim of setting up working groups to urgently develop plans for concrete measures regarding Romania’s energy security, food security, revitalization of the national defense industry and support to offset the economic and social effects of the war, and the BNS Executive Board decided to hold a march and rally on April 6 in this regard.
“Romania’s economic and social environment is increasingly affected by the effects of the war in our immediate neighborhood. Economic links with Russia or Ukraine are becoming more and more visible, unknown to the general public until now and sometimes even by the authorities, especially since this war is not just a conventional one, moving from the purely military zone to the deeply economic zone! Recently, the European institutions have taken numerous decisions as sanctions against Russia in the field of energy, as well as in the financial field, with repercussions that are difficult to quantify in the near future! The effects of the war in Ukraine are not only visible in the form of massive flows of refugees seeking shelter. The loss of sales or supply markets is already affecting the economic environment, but also the jobs of Romanians. At the same time, in the human dimension, war is already creating unexpected social behaviors,” the BNS said in a letter addressed to the Government of Romania.
According to trade unionists, the only institutions that really work during this period are the “Facebook Ministry” and the “Tik-Tok Ministry,” which “spread rumors, hoax truths, manipulate growing masses of people.”
The consequences were massive cash withdrawals from ATMs, huge queues at passport offices, an unusual appetite to buy property abroad, far from the war zone, but also “huge and hysterical” queues at gas stations.
“We drew the attention of the President of Romania, but also of the Prime Minister, that we will face such situations, but it was preferred to wait and for the moment the non-action. The government has limited itself to joining the efforts of European or international authorities, ignoring the fact that placing Romania in the immediate vicinity of the war will produce much more consistent and nuanced effects! Today we feel abandoned by the Government of our country! We are going through a turbulent period and we find that we do not have mechanisms to protect ourselves from speculative behavior,” says BNS, according to Agerpres.
In the opinion of the Trade Union Bloc, these days we are witnessing a forced alignment of prices in Romania, especially for commodities, at the level of European prices. It’s just that Romanians’ incomes are much lower than those in the Member States because “we have made a country goal out of the low-paid workforce!”
“We need a complex approach to the problems we face from the Romanian government. We need a strategic approach that is economically and socially oriented and a clear voice at European level to support the cause of Romania and its citizens,” BNS said.
The strategic approach proposed by the NBS to the Government must target at least 4 pillars: Romania’s energy security, food security, the revitalization of the national defense industry and the provision of support to offset the economic and social effects of the war.
Regarding Romania’s energy security, according to the NBS, it is urgent to identify solutions to eliminate dependence on energy resources imported from Russia, given that access to these resources is no longer possible.
Romania must also keep in mind that the liberalization of the electricity and natural gas markets has led to a strong interconnection of the Romanian energy product markets (electricity, gas and fuel) with the European ones, with effects especially in terms of price increases.