Romanian retirees protest against pension cuts

Bucharest - Several thousand pensioners demonstrated against proposed austerity measures on Wednesday in various Romanian cities, with scuffles erupting between retirees and police officers outside the president's office in the capital Bucharest.All pensions in Romania are to be cut by 15 per cent on June 1, as part of drastic savings measures. According to national statistics, the average pension currently lies at 734 lei (223 dollars), with the minimum pension amounting to 350 lei (106 dollars).Angry retirees sporadically broke through barricades set up in front of the president's office and demanded a meeting with the country's leader, Traian Basescu.Several people fainted and had to be taken to hospital.Incidents between demonstrating pensioners and security forces were also reported in the east Romanian city of Galati and the northern Romanian city of Iasi.Romanian officials and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) last week agreed on drastic new austerity measures and structural reforms to address the country's burgeoning budget deficit.Along with the cuts in pensions, the government is also seeking to slash the salaries of all civil servants by 25 per cent.Romania made a deal with the IMF, European Union and World Bank in the spring of 2009 to receive a 20-billion-euro (25-billion-dollar) emergency loan to address its economic crisis.The European Union member has already received 12 billion euros, but the crisis has nevertheless worsened.The IMF is now linking the disbursement of the loan's fifth installment of 850 million euros, originally scheduled for June, to new austerity measures.