The Social Dialogue - downgraded to the lowest level of the organizational structure of the Ministry of Labour and Social Justice

To: The Government of Romania
Prime Minister Vasilica-Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Prime Minister,
In the government's scheme, the work of coordinating the Social Dialogue has recently been undergoing successive transformations. From the specialized direction subordinated to the Ministry of Labor was transformed during the year 2017 into the Ministry, then again in the direction of specialty within the Ministry of Labor.

The draft normative act being publicly debated on the website of the Ministry of Labor and Social Justice (https://goo.gl/k1WLPC) detracts from Social Dialog at the service level, the lowest level of the organizational structure.

It is clear from the Explanatory Memorandum (https://goo.gl/sxpHJG) that the reorganization activity is mainly motivated by the prospect of taking over from 1 January 2019 the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the sense of "increasing the administrative capacity needed to exercise this mandate".

Thus, it is also stated in the substantiation note, "Romania will have the opportunity to imprint its national vision on the strategic debates on the future of the European project, to contribute directly to the consolidation process and to promote on the European agenda some files that our country considers important. "

We are not clear what are the files our country considers important, but one of the documents that the Council of the European Union and the European Commission put special emphasis on is the European Pillar of Social Rights, a proclamation signed last year by the Member States in Gothenburg. The European Pillar of Social Rights is the instrument that puts European citizens in the spotlight, with the aim of restoring the balance between the economic and social objectives of the Union and the Member States, for a fairer Europe.

Achieving these objectives requires adequate involvement of the social partners in the design and implementation of public policies and reforms in the European Semester.

For Romania, the Country Specific Recommendations of the European Commission note that "The involvement of the social partners in the elaboration and implementation of economic and social reforms has been very limited." (Https://goo.gl/wAtbof)

Moreover, in its Opinion on the Convergence Program of Romania for 2018, the Council of Europe "RECOMMENDS that, in the period 2018-2019, Romania should take action so as to (...) Improve the functioning of the social dialogue."

For example, although you have specified the opening for dialogue, the Tripartite National Social Dialogue Council - the highest institution of the tripartite social dialogue, chaired by the Prime Minister in office and having quarterly meetings - has never been summoned this year, though we are already in the third quarter and at least the trade union confederations have expressly called for their convocation.

Under these circumstances, the marginalization of the role of the Social Dialogue within the Ministry of Labor - the institution with a key role in implementing the reforms included in the National Reform Plan within the European Semester - at a level that is devoid of decision-making power and influence, is another symptom of the lack of interest in real problems has the citizens of this country.
In addition, it is in contradiction with the Same goal of reorganization, again giving a bad signal to our European partners.

In conclusion, we ask that you leave the existing legal form without any change, in the sense that the Social Dialogue finds its place in the structure of the Ministry of Labor and Social Justice.

Bogdan Iuliu HOSSU
President of CNS "Cartel ALFA"