The school year faces disruption
Unhappy with their humiliating salaries, Romanian teachers threaten to go on a general strike.
Ştefan Stoica, 17.05.2023, 14:00
The teaching and auxiliary staff in the Romanian education system have exhausted all legal forms of protest but the most radical one, namely striking. On Wednesday, they held a two-hour warning strike and are determined to go on a general strike next Monday as decided in a poll in which 70% agreed to the strike unless their demands are met.
Protesters basically want for their labour to be rewarded in keeping with its social importance, starting from the principle that the salary of a beginner teacher must be at least equal to the average salary. They also want the salaries of the teaching staff to grow progressively depending on the teachers position, level of studies and other qualifications and seniority and for the salaries of public employees to be brought in line with the inflation rate on an annual basis. Other demands refer to the payment of extra hours performed by the auxiliary and non-teaching staff and relocation bonuses, bonuses for difficult working conditions, the payment of commuting costs, additional holiday and financial compensation for outstanding holidays. Last but not least, teachers want an annual growth of investments in education to improve schools equipment and facilities.
They say they began their protests in December 2022 and also held them in January, February, March, April, culminating in a rally on 10th May in Bucharest attended by 15,000 people, but that the coalition government did not pay any heed to their demands and the promises made were not fulfilled. Humiliating salaries, the collapse of the purchasing power, salary gaps with respect to management positions are just some of the problems faced by the employees in the education system, according to the trade unions.
A big question mark hangs at this moment as to what will happen to the national exams, the evaluation for admission to high school and the baccalaureate exam. Trade union leaders admit that these may be disrupted in the event of a general strike, but emphasise that solving the situation solely depends on the decisions made by the government and Parliament. Education minister Ligia Deca has already established the membership of the team who will negotiate the collective bargaining contract and said she was convinced solutions would be found. She said the structure of the school year and the education process should not be disrupted in any way and promised to fight for both decent salaries for teachers and for the school year to continue in optimal conditions before the summer break. (CM)
