Health workers take to the streets

Health workers took to the streets on Tuesday in Bucharest in a rally coordinated by the Solidaritatea sanitară federation, which has over 25,000 members from the healthcare system. The demonstration was attended by employees in the healthcare system, from doctors and nurses to economists and auxiliary staff. Their main demand from the government was to be granted the salaries promised almost two years ago, given that no pay rise was awarded last year and only a quarter of the level promised is earmarked for next year. Daniel Bulboacă, the vice-president of the federation:

"The law in force since 2017 is not being applied. That's all we ask: for our salary rights to be granted, nothing more. This year in January we were supposed to be granted a first pay rise, but that didn't happen. Administrative staff are getting no rise in 2022 and auxiliary staff, nursing assistants, orderlies, the cleaning staff, only get a quarter of what they were promised."

Protesters staged rallies in front of the main institutions, including the government headquarters, Parliament and the president's office. Gabriel Predica, vice-president of the Solidaritatea sanitară federation told Radio Romania that the pay rise is not the only problem:

"We are dealing, on the one hand with an unfair system with respect to the salary scheme and, on the other, with the lack of gratitude for the efforts of healthcare workers. I'm including everyone working in the system, from the administrative staff to orderlies, doctors, nurses, absolutely everyone, all of whom have been involved in these last two years in the battle against the Covid-19 pandemic."

Gabriel Predica says pay rises have kept being postponed ever since 2010, which has created a lot of frustration and conflicts among the healthcare staff. He also pointed out that neither the old, nor the new salary law has been fully implemented. (CM)