Orban (PNL): Cannot grant social assistance benefits to strong people who don't like to work

National Liberal Party (PNL) chairman Ludovic Orban stated on Sunday at the rally in Galati that PNL has a governing program and under it, social assistance benefits will no longer be granted to those who benefit from them and refuse a job. "If someone tells you that PNL does not have a program, it means he/she is malicious. Through everything we do we show that we do have a program ... PNL has never accepted that we pay for laziness from our money, of those who work. We agree to give social aid to people who cannot work, but you cannot give welfare benefits to strong people who do not like work and who are idle and live on welfare even if they are offered jobs. And here let me clearly say: whoever will refuse a job from those who receive social assistance benefits, we will no longer grant them social aid, because Romania can only be built on labour, on hard work, on everything that can lead to individual and national prosperity," Orban said. He said that the PNL program will eliminate the over-excise duty on fuel and the surcharge on part-time contracts. "When they [Social Democratic Party, PSD, ed.n.] introduced the over-excise duty on fuel, PNL opposed it and warned that it would reduce fuel consumption, that revenues to the state budget will decrease and that the price of gasoline and diesel would soar. We were right. We certainly do have a program. If PNL comes to power, it will cut the over-excise duty on fuel. When they came and introduced the surcharge on part-time contracts, where people who probably did not earn enough from one job could earn some money from a contract for two or four hours, six hours, they charged so that almost no Romanian can enter a part-time contract because they have to pay the full gross minimum wage even if he works for two hours. The absurd situation has been reached when they had to pay more than they received (...). PNL has a program: we will eliminate the surcharge on part-time to allow those who want to work extra hours to earn better," Orban said. The PNL leader also said that the Liberal governing program will also include granting holiday vouchers to private sector employees as well. "I supported the project with holiday vouchers. And what does PSD do? They give holiday vouchers in the public sector. They do not care about the five million private sector employees. And then I tell you clearly: they too must benefit from these vouchers. How do we do it? By stimulating employers, by deducting the expenses with the holiday vouchers so that employees in the private sector also benefit from this right to spend their holidays in Romania," Orban said. Ludovic Orban participated in Galati at the launching event of PNL candidates for the European Parliament elections, which took place at the Sports Hall, in the presence of about 2,000 supporters. Rares Bogdan and Siegfried Muresan, Raluca Turcan, PNL first vice-president, Robert Sighiartau, PNL secretary general, were also present at the event. AGERPRES (RO - author: Dan Paic, editor: Antonia Nita; EN - author/editor: Simona Iacob)