IMF, European Union demand more austerity in romania: teachers next

[Hannah Bell]

Austerity measures are set to continue in Romania with the axing of 74,000 more public sector jobs by the end of the year. This was the message left delivered by an International Monetary Fund (IMF)-European Commission (EC) evaluation team dispatched to the Eastern European country. The conclusion of the nine-day IMF-EC mission last Wednesday will allow the Romanian government to access the sixth outlay of a joint IMF-European Union (EU) loan package.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Jeffrey Franks, the head of the IMF team, praised the Romanian government of Prime Minister Emil Boc for its effort to sack 30,000 public employees, and added that he expects the next target of restructuring to be the country’s education system. Franks also applauded the Boc government’s quick reaction to the Supreme Court’s rejection of the scheduled pension cuts, by increasing the VAT tax 5 percent, to 24 percent.

The IMF representative avoided addressing the real number of planned layoffs, speaking instead about a “continuous restructuring by the end of the year”, and hinting that the “government anticipates thousands of personnel cuts over and above the 70,000 posts”. Seventy thousand is the number discussed in the initial accord, intended to create a more “supple public sector” and “create space” for a “gradual increase of salaries”...

The targeting of the education sector marks a new attack on teachers, who have been in conflict with the government since it took office in early 2009... The conflict between teachers and the new education minister, Daniel Funeriu, reached a peak in May, when teachers refused to participate in baccalaureate exams... The changes to the exam’s methodology required by the new education law, as well as the chaos of the government’s strike-breaking operation, resulted in a staggering 40 percent of high-school students failing to pass the exam, a number which government officials were quick to use as proof that teachers were incompetent and that the system was in need of “reform”.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/aug2010/roma-a11.shtm...


the same talking points from the fascists all over the world. they get them from central hq.