All newspapers on Thursday read about the spontaneous strike at the Finance ministry where employees refused to work and protested on the institution's hallways. Negotiations continued late in the night but without use. Activity in the Finance ministry is blocked and other financial institutions across the country take its lead.

Evenimentul Zilei reads that negotiations at the Finance ministry, where yesterday employees launched a spontaneous strike dissatisfied with their small salaries now that they stopped receiving bonuses.

The last round of negotiations ended at 4 AM. About 200 ministry employees remained in the ministry's HQ to continue the protest but without a concrete result. Therefore, the activity in the Finance ministry is still blocked.

Employees demand their bonuses for August and September and they want to receive the rest of the payments from June and July when they were paid only partially. 11 counties across the country joined the protest yesterday.

This morning, the 200 employees who stayed in the ministry overnight do no wish to leave, fearing that they will not be let inside. The declared that they will remain there until they will receive a favorable answer.

Finance minister Gheorghe Ialomitianu returned around 12AM at the institution for a new round of negotiations. He declared that he returned to negotiate and said that those employees who performed in the fight against fiscal evasion will receive their bonuses.

Gandul quotes Finance minister declaring, at an interview for news televisions last night, saying that employees are upset because they used to have a lot of money. He explained that those in the ministry cannot claim for the same money in time of crisis when city halls and schools are closing down.

He declared that the bonus system is not transparent and needs to be based on efficiency above all. In other countries, bonuses are offered at the end of the term or the year, not as salaries as in Romania.

Romania libera explains in detail the bonus system in the Finance ministry. The newspaper reads that bonuses were sometimes three times their salary and their revenues dropped considerably when these were cut.

These bonuses come from penalties cashed in by the ministry or the goods sold by financial institutions. 80% of their value transfer to the ministry where they are given to the people as bonuses.

In a press release, the Finance ministry reads that Finance employees have indeed the lowest salaries in the public system and made pressures in the government to rally their basic salaries to the rest. However, the government ordinance ruling this is still due to pass in the Parliament these days.