Marian Sârbu
Encyclopedia
Marian Sârbu is a Romania
n trade unionist and politician. A member of the National Union for the Progress of Romania
(UNPR) and formerly of the Social Democratic Party
(PSD), he has been a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies
for Călăraşi County
(1996-2008) and Vaslui County
(since 2008). In the Adrian Năstase
cabinet, he was Minister of Labour from 2000 to 2003 Minister-Delegate for Relations with Social Partners from 2003 to 2004. In the Emil Boc
cabinet, he once again held the Labour portfolio from 2008 to 2009.
He is married and has one child.
, Călăraşi County
, receiving a Law degree in 1990 and a doctorate in Management in 2006. From 1990 to 1994, he was president of the Federation of Free Trade Unions in the Wood Industry, also serving as a member of the executive bureau of the International Federation of Building and Wood Workers
from 1993 to 1994. In 1990 he also joined the National Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Romania; after this merged with the union Frăţia in 1993 to form the National Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Romania - Brotherhood
(CNSLR-Frăţia), he served as the latter organisation's vice president until leaving in 1994.
In 1994, Sârbu, by then a member of the Party of Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR, which became the PSD in 2001), joined its executive bureau, to which he belonged until 1996 and from 2000 to 2004. Also until 1996, he was a secretary of state at the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection. At the 1996 election
, he entered the Chamber of Deputies; while his party was in opposition for the next four years, he headed its department of political science. Re-elected in 2000
, he was Minister of Labour and Social Solidarity until June 2003 and Minister-Delegate for Relations with Social Partners from then until July 2004. He was removed from the cabinet so he could join the party's coordinating bureau, on which he continued to sit for several years. As minister, Sârbu was criticised for the close links he maintained to the trade unions, for instance being one of the architects of a "non-aggression pact" between the PSD and CNSLR-Frăţia. He was elected again in 2004
. From that year until 2006, he headed the party's social policy department, and from 2006 to 2008 was a vice president of the PSD. He won yet another term in 2008
, having been sent to run in Vaslui County after a party colleague withdrew from the race. Throughout his time in the Chamber, he has served on its Committee for Labour and Social Protection. He resumed ministerial office in December 2008, his first act being to change the ministry's name from "Labour, Family and Equal Opportunity" to "Labour, Family and Social Protection", reflecting his priority of raising pensions, as well as reducing grey market activity from 50% to 25%, eliminating charges on employers for the first year a new employee works, and increasing professional development for the unemployed.
In the Boc cabinet, Sârbu had to deal with the effects of the financial crisis, warning in March 2009 that unemployment could reach 800,000 by year's end and promising the authorities would be able to pay unemployment benefits and would give special attention to pensioners and low-income workers, in spite of a budget deficit. He supported a proposed law capping state salaries at 9,000 lei per month, 15 times higher than the minimum salary, and stated that the minimum pension would rise to 350 lei by October 2009. Speaking to a public employees' union, he urged that strikes and protests would bring nothing to employees, instead asking for concessions. Together with his PSD colleagues, Sârbu resigned from the cabinet on October 1, 2009, in protest at the dismissal of vice prime minister and Interior Minister Dan Nica
.
In February 2010, Sârbu resigned from the PSD, citing disagreements in strategy and on social policy. Joining Gabriel Oprea
's group of independents in Parliament, in May he was elected president of the UNPR, which Oprea had recently founded.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n trade unionist and politician. A member of the National Union for the Progress of Romania
National Union for the Progress of Romania
The National Union for the Progress of Romania is a political party of Romania. The party was formed in March 2010 by a group of independents who had broken away from the Social Democratic Party and National Liberal Party and support President Traian Băsescu...
(UNPR) and formerly of the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party (Romania)
The Social Democratic Party is the major social-democratic political party in Romania. It was formed in 1992, after the post-communist National Salvation Front broke apart. It adopted its present name after a merger with a minor social-democratic party in 2001. Since its formation, it has always...
(PSD), he has been a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Romania
The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house in Romania's bicameral parliament. It has 315 seats, to which deputies are elected by direct popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms...
for Călăraşi County
Calarasi County
Călărași is a county of Romania, in Muntenia, with the county seat at Călărași.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 324,617 and a population density of 64/km².*Romanians – 95%*Roma and others.-List of cities by population:...
(1996-2008) and Vaslui County
Vaslui County
Vaslui is a county of Romania, in the historical region Moldavia, with the seat at Vaslui.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 455,049 and the population density was 86/km².*Romanians - over 98%*Romas, other-Geography:...
(since 2008). In the Adrian Năstase
Adrian Nastase
Adrian Năstase is a Romanian politician who was the Prime Minister of Romania from December 2000 to December 2004.He competed as the Social Democratic Party candidate in the 2004 presidential election, but was defeated by centre-right Justice and Truth Alliance candidate Traian Băsescu.He was...
cabinet, he was Minister of Labour from 2000 to 2003 Minister-Delegate for Relations with Social Partners from 2003 to 2004. In the Emil Boc
Emil Boc
Emil Boc is the Prime Minister of Romania, having served since December 2008. In June 2004, he was elected Mayor of Cluj-Napoca, the largest city in Transylvania. Boc is also the president of the Democratic Liberal Party, who designated him as Prime Minister in 2008. On October 13, 2009, his...
cabinet, he once again held the Labour portfolio from 2008 to 2009.
He is married and has one child.
Biography
He was born in BudeştiBudesti
Budeşti is a small provincial town in Călăraşi County, approximately 30 km south-east of Bucharest, the capital of Romania. Three villages are administered by the town: Aprozi, Buciumeni and Gruiu. Budeşti was the birthplace of famous Romanian violin player Ion Voicu. It has a population of...
, Călăraşi County
Calarasi County
Călărași is a county of Romania, in Muntenia, with the county seat at Călărași.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 324,617 and a population density of 64/km².*Romanians – 95%*Roma and others.-List of cities by population:...
, receiving a Law degree in 1990 and a doctorate in Management in 2006. From 1990 to 1994, he was president of the Federation of Free Trade Unions in the Wood Industry, also serving as a member of the executive bureau of the International Federation of Building and Wood Workers
International Federation of Building and Wood Workers
The International Federation of Building and Wood Workers is a global union federation of trade unions in the building, building materials, wood, forestry and allied industries, established in 1934 by a merger of the Building Workers International and Wood Workers International...
from 1993 to 1994. In 1990 he also joined the National Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Romania; after this merged with the union Frăţia in 1993 to form the National Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Romania - Brotherhood
National Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Romania - Brotherhood
-External links:*...
(CNSLR-Frăţia), he served as the latter organisation's vice president until leaving in 1994.
In 1994, Sârbu, by then a member of the Party of Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR, which became the PSD in 2001), joined its executive bureau, to which he belonged until 1996 and from 2000 to 2004. Also until 1996, he was a secretary of state at the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection. At the 1996 election
Romanian legislative election, 1996
Legislative elections were held in Romania on 3 November 1996, together with the Presidential election. The elections were won by the Romanian Democratic Convention, an alliance of liberal, Christian Democratic and green parties. This marked the first time that the Party of Social Democracy was out...
, he entered the Chamber of Deputies; while his party was in opposition for the next four years, he headed its department of political science. Re-elected in 2000
Romanian legislative election, 2000
Legislative elections where be held in Romania on November 26, 2000, together with the Presidential election. The Greater Romania Party made big gains, as did the PDSR, which became the ruling party. The formerly governing Romanian Democratic Convention lost all its seats and was shortly...
, he was Minister of Labour and Social Solidarity until June 2003 and Minister-Delegate for Relations with Social Partners from then until July 2004. He was removed from the cabinet so he could join the party's coordinating bureau, on which he continued to sit for several years. As minister, Sârbu was criticised for the close links he maintained to the trade unions, for instance being one of the architects of a "non-aggression pact" between the PSD and CNSLR-Frăţia. He was elected again in 2004
Romanian legislative election, 2004
The Romanian legislative election of 2004 was held on 28 November 2004. 137 seats in the Senate of Romania and 314 seats in the Chamber of Deputies were up for election.The 2004 legislative election was held simultaneously with the presidential election...
. From that year until 2006, he headed the party's social policy department, and from 2006 to 2008 was a vice president of the PSD. He won yet another term in 2008
Romanian legislative election, 2008
Legislative elections were held in Romania on November 30, 2008. The Democratic Liberal Party won most seats in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, although the alliance headed by the Social Democratic Party won a fractionally higher vote share.-Electoral System:President Traian Băsescu...
, having been sent to run in Vaslui County after a party colleague withdrew from the race. Throughout his time in the Chamber, he has served on its Committee for Labour and Social Protection. He resumed ministerial office in December 2008, his first act being to change the ministry's name from "Labour, Family and Equal Opportunity" to "Labour, Family and Social Protection", reflecting his priority of raising pensions, as well as reducing grey market activity from 50% to 25%, eliminating charges on employers for the first year a new employee works, and increasing professional development for the unemployed.
In the Boc cabinet, Sârbu had to deal with the effects of the financial crisis, warning in March 2009 that unemployment could reach 800,000 by year's end and promising the authorities would be able to pay unemployment benefits and would give special attention to pensioners and low-income workers, in spite of a budget deficit. He supported a proposed law capping state salaries at 9,000 lei per month, 15 times higher than the minimum salary, and stated that the minimum pension would rise to 350 lei by October 2009. Speaking to a public employees' union, he urged that strikes and protests would bring nothing to employees, instead asking for concessions. Together with his PSD colleagues, Sârbu resigned from the cabinet on October 1, 2009, in protest at the dismissal of vice prime minister and Interior Minister Dan Nica
Dan Nica
Dan Nica is a Romanian engineer and politician. A member of the Social Democratic Party , he has been a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies for Galaţi County since 1996...
.
In February 2010, Sârbu resigned from the PSD, citing disagreements in strategy and on social policy. Joining Gabriel Oprea
Gabriel Oprea
Gabriel Oprea is a Romanian soldier and politician. A member of the National Union for the Progress of Romania and a former member of the Social Democratic Party , he has been a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies for Ilfov County since 2004...
's group of independents in Parliament, in May he was elected president of the UNPR, which Oprea had recently founded.