Head of CMC General Social Assistance Division faces dismissal

Eugenia Ceban, head of the General Social Assistance Division of the Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC), risks being dismissed or sanctioned administratively. At Tuesday’s meeting of the CMC, Chisinau Mayor General Dorin Chirtoaca presented an informative note about the situation of the division. A special commission investigated a part of the activities carried out by Eugenia Ceban after a number of former employees of the division had submitted complaints to the City Hall. According to the mayor, the commission established that Eugenia Ceban has committed a number of irregularities. In compliance with the Labour Code, Ceban was asked to present a written explanation, but she refused, expressing her disagreement about the report. Eugenia Ceban is accused of discrimination against some of the division’s employees. She sanctioned them contrary to the legal procedure: did not ask for explanations before sanctioning them, the violations were not recorded in documents etc. The mayor also says that Ceban fired about 150 people during about a year. Moreover, the dismissed persons did not receive firing indemnities. Liberal-Democrat councilor Alexandru Tanase said that though the appointment and dismissal of the City Hall’s employees is a prerogative of the mayor, he must think twice before making such a decision, because the municipal councillors decided to take legal action against the public functionaries that will be to blame for the damage caused to the local budget and when the courts will oblige the local authorities to pay damages to the plaintiffs. They will ask the court to oblige the guilty functionaries to pay themselves the losses caused to the local budget. Eugenia Ceban denied the assertions regarding the dismissal of the about 150 persons. According to her, the employment and firing proposals are submitted by the district social assistance divisions, while the large number of dismissals is explained by the fact that the social assistants are not satisfied with the salaries of 400 lei and give up the posts one or two months after employed. Ceban said that she implemented real reforms in the division while heading it, reforms that are now felt by the district heads and pensioners. Eugenia Ceban says he will appeal to the court regardless of the sanctioning decision that the mayor general will take. Dorin Chirtoaca said he will assume responsibility for his decision, stressing that certain decisions must be made “if we want to move on”. Oleg Cernei, councillor on behalf of Moldova Noastra Alliance, said that this conflict was exaggerated because it turned from internal into municipal. According to him, groups of old people come to the City Hall and ask that Eugenia Ceban be not dismissed.