After the COVID-19
\npandemic had moved the activity of teaching online and had significantly
\nimpacted an entire generation of students, another event is shaking Romania’s
\neducation system. Students are having a day off after teachers disgruntled with
\nthe government’s pay and social policies have gone on an all out strike. Over
\n150 thousand teachers in Romania’s undergraduate system as well as 60-70
\nthousand non-teaching staffers have joined a strike they pledge to carry on
\nuntil a credible solution to their claims from the Executive. Against a rising inflation, which last year went
\nover 15% with a heavy impact on the employees’ standard of living, the most
\ndifficult issue is that of the teachers’ low salaries. According to trade union
\nleaders wages in this line of work should be around 4,000 lei, the equivalent
\nof 800 Euros for a beginner teacher and around 7,000 lei, over 14 hundred
\nEuros, for a senior teacher. The new education laws promoted by the incumbent
\nfield minister, Ligia Deca, have also triggered a fresh wave of discontent. As
\nregards the end of the school year, which is due in June, trade unionists say
\nthat it is the government who must have the last say in this respect. During
\nthe talks with the government representatives, the president of the Spiru Haret
\nTrade Union Confederation, Marius Nistor said the following.<\/p>\n
Marius Nistor: I wished, this also being the desire of all the education employees, this
\nall-out strike had not taken place, you know. We didn’t wish for it, we were actually forced to have it. A lot of our claims have been ignored so far and the
\nend of this strike mainly depends on the answer we get from the Government and
\nof course on the desire of our colleagues.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
In response, the
\ncountry’s Prime Minister, Nicolae Ciuc\u0103, says that:<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Nicolae Ciuca: Education is our top priority together with the healthcare. We can find
\nsolutions and we cannot allow that the students may not take their final exams
\nand complete their studies. <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The strike is
\nalso leading to political deadlocks. Under the protocols of the incumbent
\nruling coalition, PSD leader Marcel Ciolacu is going to take over the Prime
\nMinister seat from the Liberal Nicolae Ciuca shortly. However, Ciolacu has
\ncalled for the suspension of the talks over the new cabinet until a solution is
\nfound to the crisis in the country’s education system. <\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
According to
\nvarious publications in Bucharest though, none of the political sides seems very
\ndelighted to take over the leadership of the Executive at a time when trade
\nunionists in Romania’s medical system could also stop activity and the police
\nhave also expressed their right to a strike. No matter the political colour of
\nthe ruling parties, experts believe, they will have to shortly deal with acute
\nsocial disgruntlement, as Romania next year is in for a new series of
\nelections, for the European Parliament, as well as local, legislative and
\npresidential elections. <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
(bill)<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Romanian students are having a day off as their teachers have gone on an all out strike<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105,"featured_media":95762,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[37738],"tags":[37735,35351,35471,29090,37634],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-95761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-today-in-the-news","tag-all-out","tag-ciolacu","tag-ciuca","tag-strike","tag-teachers"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n