"Cartel Alfa" union confederation members start their five-day protest in Bucharest. They will rally every day in front of the Finance Ministry, between 10 am to 12 pm. One hundred people are expected to take part daily in the protest: members of the federations affiliated to the confederation, from sectors like public services, metallurgy, ferrous metallurgy, transports, car constructors, mining, light industry and chemistry.

The protesters request the preservation of the technical redundancy throughout 2010 and social protection measures. On February 1, employers have to sack 200,000 employees.

"Cartel Alfa" president declared on Thursday that the recent normative act projects regarding job cuts in the education, social assistance and public administration sectors have been put together by accountants and not by experts. If the claims are not solved, the union members threaten to extend their protests over a period of time with no deadline.