BUCHAREST, Romania—Romania's finance minister is to meet trade unions as civil servants around Romania Thursday continued their protest over government wage cuts in the public sector.
The minister, Gheorghe Ialomiteanu, met Prime Minister Emil Boc early Thursday and will hold talks with unions later. Hundreds gathered outside the ministry, shouting "Thieves!" as he returned from talks. Other employees at financial institutes around Romania joined the protest Thursday, refusing to work.
A spontaneous protest began at the ministry Wednesday over wage cuts and some employees remained overnight in the ministry. Ialomiteanu was temporarily trapped in his office by rowdy protesters Wednesday, and layer freed by riot police. After meeting the prime minister, he warned employees Thursday that they would face the legal consequences of their protest.
Teachers said they would gather at the education ministry later Thursday to rally with the finance ministry employees.
The protest came after weeks of anger over government-ordered wage cuts. Romania was forced to implement austerity measures in exchange for billions in bailout loans from the International Monetary Fund last year, which have sparked frequent demonstrations.
Many civil servants have had their salaries slashed by more than a quarter, because bonuses that once made up a significant proportion of their take-home pay have been cut as part of a slate of austerity measures.
