Bucharest - Romania's new Prime Minister Emil Boc, on the first day of his term Tuesday, announced the salaries of senior government officials would be reduced to a little less than one fifth. In the current time of crisis, officials had to be the first to tighten their belts, Boc said.
The heads of administrations such as customs, aviation and state- owned enterprises such as power plants were among those affected. They would no longer earn up to 28,000 lei (10,040 dollars) per month, but up to a maximum of 4,800 lei.
Boc also wants to scrap the current 145,000 vacant civil service posts. The premier expects the measures to result in savings of more than 1 billion euros. Boc plans to reduce Romania's anticipated budget deficit of 4.0 per cent in 2009 to 1.7 per cent.
Boc and his 18-member cabinet were sworn in on Monday under a new coalition government of Boc's centre-right Democratic Liberal Party (PD-L) and the socialist PSD party. The two parties came in nearly equally in elections on November 30, with neither party gaining an absolute majority.
