Photo by Jakub Żerdzicki on Unsplash
The Parliamentary Public Servants Union (SFPPSR), the Contractual Staff Union (SPCSR), and the Senate Drivers Union affirm that employee health is non-negotiable, and the institution must either cap radiation levels or dismantle the antennas.
“We are told our allowance is a ‘budgetary whim.’ How can safeguarding our health be considered a whim? This allowance is not a financial indulgence but a fundamental right, granted based on a technically and metrologically validated expert report confirming alarming levels of electromagnetic radiation—significantly exceeding the maximum permitted limits—emitted by equipment installed on the Parliament building,” the unions state.
The harsh reality behind the walls of Parliament, according to the three unions:
Direct health risk to employees: This is not mere theory or speculation. Daily work near this equipment has been linked to numerous cancer cases among our colleagues, some with tragic outcomes. There is a genuine and justified concern for our health.
Official scientific validation: We are not alone in this assertion. An official report from INCDPM “Alexandru Darabont” confirms the constant presence of five occupational risk factors. Furthermore, Test Report No. 1099/10.11.2023, issued by INCDPM “Alexandru Darabont” – Bucharest, identifies these risk factors within the building and underscores the necessity of maintaining the hazardous conditions allowance.
Continuous exposure, not incidental: These are not isolated occurrences. The operational antennas on the 9th and 10th floors and the terrace, along with technical security equipment, operate continuously, resulting in ongoing exposure to high levels of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation from military, intelligence, and commercial sources.
Legal duty and social dialogue: By law, the employer must ensure safe working conditions. Unions must be consulted prior to any changes affecting working conditions. As a fundamental institution, the Senate is obliged to guarantee transparency, consultation, and effective solutions for its personnel.
The Parliamentary Public Servants Union of the Romanian Senate, the Contractual Staff Union of the Romanian Senate, and the Senate Drivers Union publicly and firmly demand the immediate removal of all communication antennas and equipment generating electromagnetic fields and radiation installed on the Parliament building. This is the sole effective way to eliminate the daily risk faced by employees. Alternatively, if removal is not feasible, radiation emissions must be capped, with compensation equivalent to 300 lei gross.
Until all risk sources are eliminated, the unions demand the full continuation of the hazardous conditions allowance, as it existed prior to Emergency Ordinance No. 36/2025.