Working Time, Economic Policy, Romania

The Cartel-Alfa trade union confederation organised a series of rallies around the country from 17 October leading up to a national demonstration in Bucharest on 20 October. The confederation is calling for action to tackle surging inflation and for increases to pay and pensions. The actions were supported by EPSU affiliate Hipocrat which organises in the health sector.

The Sanitas health trade union has managed to negotiate a collective agreement in the sector despite the strict representative rules that make it extremely difficult to negotiate sector deals in Romania. The agreement confirms many of the rights the union has won over the years and ensures that they apply uniformly across the country. Among the most important elements are holiday entitlement (21-30 days depending on length of service), the role of the trade union in personnel policy, collective redundancies and disciplinary procedures and measures to support nurses' further education and