An all out strike is freezing Romania’s undergraduate education system
Romanian students are having a day off as their teachers have gone on an all out strike
Bogdan Matei, 22.05.2023, 14:00
After the COVID-19
pandemic had moved the activity of teaching online and had significantly
impacted an entire generation of students, another event is shaking Romania’s
education system. Students are having a day off after teachers disgruntled with
the government’s pay and social policies have gone on an all out strike. Over
150 thousand teachers in Romania’s undergraduate system as well as 60-70
thousand non-teaching staffers have joined a strike they pledge to carry on
until a credible solution to their claims from the Executive. Against a rising inflation, which last year went
over 15% with a heavy impact on the employees’ standard of living, the most
difficult issue is that of the teachers’ low salaries. According to trade union
leaders wages in this line of work should be around 4,000 lei, the equivalent
of 800 Euros for a beginner teacher and around 7,000 lei, over 14 hundred
Euros, for a senior teacher. The new education laws promoted by the incumbent
field minister, Ligia Deca, have also triggered a fresh wave of discontent. As
regards the end of the school year, which is due in June, trade unionists say
that it is the government who must have the last say in this respect. During
the talks with the government representatives, the president of the Spiru Haret
Trade Union Confederation, Marius Nistor said the following.
Marius Nistor: I wished, this also being the desire of all the education employees, this
all-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
end of this strike mainly depends on the answer we get from the Government and
of course on the desire of our colleagues.
In response, the
country’s Prime Minister, Nicolae Ciucă, says that:
Nicolae Ciuca: Education is our top priority together with the healthcare. We can find
solutions and we cannot allow that the students may not take their final exams
and complete their studies.
The strike is
also leading to political deadlocks. Under the protocols of the incumbent
ruling coalition, PSD leader Marcel Ciolacu is going to take over the Prime
Minister seat from the Liberal Nicolae Ciuca shortly. However, Ciolacu has
called for the suspension of the talks over the new cabinet until a solution is
found to the crisis in the country’s education system.
According to
various publications in Bucharest though, none of the political sides seems very
delighted to take over the leadership of the Executive at a time when trade
unionists in Romania’s medical system could also stop activity and the police
have also expressed their right to a strike. No matter the political colour of
the ruling parties, experts believe, they will have to shortly deal with acute
social disgruntlement, as Romania next year is in for a new series of
elections, for the European Parliament, as well as local, legislative and
presidential elections.
(bill)
