Bucharest - The Romanian government is go to constitutional court over a parliamentary decision to raise the salary of teachers by 50 per cent, Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu said Saturday.

Parliament made the teachers' wage decision in a unanimous vote two months before the election of a new parliament.

In its lawsuit, the government alleges legislators had not specified the financial sources of the salary increases.

The parliamentary decision has triggered an avalanche of wage demands, with 100,000 civil servants as well calling for 50-per-cent wage increases and threatening to strike.

Health care workers have demanded a 60-per-cent salary increase.

Teachers for their part are threatening to strike if the parliament decision is not carried out.

"We will not walk into this populist trap," Tariceanu said Saturday, adding that such salary increases were not financially feasible and would lead to the collapse of Romania's economy.

According to Finance Minister Varujan Vosganian, a 50-per-cent salary increase for government workers would boost the country's budget deficit to 7 per cent of 2009 gross domestic product and 5 per cent in 2010, endangering Romania's status as an EU member.

The government had envisioned a wage increase of 9 per cent, the rise agreed with unions at the beginning of the year.

Tariceanu said he has turned to the country's president, Traian Basescu, who previously declared himself willing to sign the 50-per- cent increase for teachers into law. (dpa)