Reports
IRI EX-EMPLOYEE SUING HIS FORMER EMPLOYER
Chisinau. A former employee of the International Republican Institute (IRI), project assistant Marian Bunescu has initiated court proceedings against his employer for what he believes was his unlawful firing.
On Wednesday, Bunescu organized a news conference in Infotag and said he had worked for IRI for four and a half years. In late May 2008, he went on a sickness leave, but upon return to his job, institute director Steve Reider told him he had been dismissed.
Marian Bunescu said he had concluded an employment contract with IRI for 1 year, so he has the right to work for next 7 months yet. Furthermore, the employer refused to explain the reason(s) of the dismissal, and provided no documents on the firing.
“Subsequently, his lawyer Constantin Tanase suggested my accepting a two-month-size compensation for my leaving without a scandal. However, I refused because I do not quite trust in what they offered me, the more so that during the 4.5 years in the Institute I did not pay any taxes to the Pension Fund, or Social Fund, so my work-book must be empty”, Bunescu said.
He refrained from telling his monthly salary at the IRI, or where the Institute is funded from, or why he agreed to receive salary without paying taxes. He only said, “I guess they fired me because they needed to place somebody else into my position. May be all this has a relation to the 2009 parliamentary elections – I know so much of what may irritate the IRI”.
Bunescu hopes the court will determine a worthy compensation for the moral and material damage the employer has inflicted to him.
