Romanian education unions reject government proposals

The Bucharest government’s proposal to increase special benefits was rejected on Tuesday by education workers’ unions, which have been on strike since last Monday and demonstrated on Tuesday outside the president’s office in the Romanian capital.

During negotiations with the government, about 20,000 school workers from all over the country, who arrived in Bucharest by bus, demonstrated in front of the government headquarters. After the union leaders announced that they would not accept another offer, the protesters marched towards the president’s office. Trade union leaders have repeatedly resented the fact that prior to his political career Klaus Johannisa physics teacher at the German Lyceum in Sibiu and later superintendent, shows less understanding for teachers’ problems than his predecessor, a former sailor Traian Basescu.

According to trade unions of educators demanding higher wages, the head of state should urgently mediate between them and the government.

After last week human rights groups rejected the government’s proposal to pay teachers a one-time allowance of 2,500 lei in two installments and decided to continue the strike, the Cabinet of Ministers, meanwhile, increased the one-time allowance for 270,000 teachers to 4,000 lei, and for 65,000 support staff – from the previous 1000 to 1500 lei.

According to a government statement, the Prime Minister Nicolae Chuca also attended the meeting on Tuesday and, on behalf of the parties of the ruling coalition, committed to approve in the new civil service salary law a teacher salary table that starts with the national average salary for novice teachers, adding that the government will adopt a memorandum on this pledge, to be published in the Official Gazette.

However, the unions are demanding guarantees from the government coalition in an emergency government decree that will take effect immediately. The unions are demanding that the government’s promises regarding the new wage law be kept. What they want is not a special allowance, but a 25% pay increase for striking school workers until the end of the school year.

As reported EADailythe exam period for high school graduates began in Romania the day before, but due to the teachers’ strike, which has been going on for a week, doubts have arisen that the schedule previously set for final exams can be maintained.