Troika attempts to undercut legal reforms: Prime Minister Emil Boc and his cabinet had to resign in February 2012 because of public protests against austerity measures which included amendments of the Social Dialogue Act without consulting the social partners. When the new government expressed the need to amend the Social Dialogue Act in order to strengthen social dialogue, the IMF and the European Commission intervened in November 2012. Their demands include the limitation of the number of persons who are to be protected from anti-union discrimination or retaliatory firing "to an appropriate number and timeframe," and a more restrictive regulation of the right to strike.

Excessive representativity requirements for bargaining: Collective agreements can only be negotiated in workplaces where there is a minimum of 21 employees.

Exclusion of certain matters from the scope of bargaining: In the public sector the following subjects are excluded from the scope of collective bargaining: base salaries, pay increases, allowances, bonuses and other staff entitlements which are fixed by law.

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