Meeting at the Ministry of Interior with union leaders, in the context of discussions on the retirement age

The Minister of the Interior, Cătălin Predoiu, met on Tuesday, January 13, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI), with the leaders of the trade unions and representatives of the professional organization in the system, amid discussions regarding the retirement age.

Meeting between the Minister of Internal Affairs and union leaders/PHOTO: Facebook MAI

“The meeting was part of the format of periodic meetings and consultations between the MAI management and union leaders.

During the meeting, in the context of the recent public debates in the media regarding the retirement age in the defense system, public order and national security, a series of clarifications and positions were made both by the Minister of Internal Affairs and the leadership of the ministry, as well as by the union leaders”transmits the MAI in a press release.

The participants emphasized the importance of social dialogue and appreciated that these consultations are always constructive and useful for the proper functioning of the MAI.

During the discussions, the Minister of Internal Affairs sent the following clarifications:

• As of today, there is no draft law drafted regarding the amendment of the legislation regulating the transfer to the reserve/termination of service relations with the right to pension for policemen and soldiers.
• There are discussions at Government level regarding raising the retirement age. These discussions are forward-looking and, should legislative solutions be advanced, they will include a transition period and be subject to consultation.
• In any discussion related to this topic, the MAI will propose measures to encourage staff who meet the retirement conditions to remain in the system, respecting the legal framework and the operational needs of the MAI.
• People who meet the retirement conditions at this time cannot lose their vocation and rights and any new provisions cannot retroactively affect this retirement vocation and the retirement conditions for those who have met the criteria of the law in force.
• The MAI has assured that it will keep this dialogue transparent and will systematically inform the unions about the evolution of this topic.

“The discussions took place in an open and constructive framework, addressing the concerns expressed by trade unions and professional organizations regarding the stability of human resources, career predictability and maintaining the operational capacity of MAI structures“, the ministry added.

Also, Cătălin Predoiu emphasized that the MAI supports the constant dialogue with the social partners and rejects the adoption of measures that could be imposed unilaterally, without consultation and without a rigorous evaluation of the effects on the functioning of the system.

“Citizens' safety depends directly on the stability and professionalism of the people in the MAI. Any decision that affects the careers of policemen and soldiers must be discussed transparently, responsibly and in partnership with those directly involved. The MAI will inform in time and consult the social partners regarding any relevant legislative developments.”said the Minister of Internal Affairs, Cătălin Predoiu.

The MAI specifies that it will continue the dialogue with the trade unions and professional organizations and will support balanced, sustainable solutions that conform to the specific realities of the activities carried out by the MAI staff, so that the operational capacity is maintained at the level necessary to ensure public order and the safety of citizens.

A new working meeting with trade unions and professional organizations is scheduled for next week.

Miruță: “We are working on a draft law, together with the Ministry of the Interior, to increase the retirement age”

The government is working on a draft law to increase the retirement age in the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of the Interior and in the SRI and SPP structures, the Minister of Defense, Radu Miruța, informed on Monday, January 12.

Radu Miruță, the Minister of National Defense, said on Monday on Antena 3 CNN that the Government will use the assumption of responsibility to pass the legislative package regarding the 10% reduction of the salary fund in public institutions, a measure that he considers the last chance for the credibility of the current executive.

“The real and responsible budget cannot be conceived this year without these spending cuts”said Miruță, stating that on Thursday, in the Government meeting, the administration package will be adopted.

According to him, each principal authorizing officer must reorganize the institution he leads in order to reduce the salary fund by 10%, without cutting basic salaries. He added that each minister decides how to apply the measure – through layoffs, reduced allowances or reduced management positions. For the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of the Interior, SRI and SPP, the solution found is to increase the retirement age.