Update: The Health Ministry announced on Tuesday it is closely monitoring medical activity as healthcare workers stage a nationwide strike, adding that it has asked regional public health authorities to immediately report any incidents that could affect patient care. It said it respects employees' constitutional right to strike and remains committed to dialogue with trade unions, describing social dialogue as the basis for finding "real, balanced, and sustainable solutions" for the system.

The ministry also sad it had already submitted proposals for the new pay law, including raising bonuses for emergency on-call shifts from 20% to 30%, introducing a pilot performance-based pay scheme for public healthcare staff, revising hazardous working condition bonuses, adjusting salary coefficients to address existing imbalances, and introducing a transition period for the new pay system. Plus, it initiated a memorandum to unblock the hiring of more than 7,000 positions in public healthcare facilities to help address staff shortages.

"The Health Ministry will continue dialogue with trade unions and all relevant partners, with responsibility and openness, to identify the best solutions for medical staff and patients," it said, adding that ensuring the continuity of healthcare services remains its top priority.

Initial story: Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers in hundreds of Romanian hospitals began an indefinite nationwide strike on Tuesday, July 28, after talks with the authorities failed to resolve a dispute over the planned wage law reform and other labor grievances. Union leaders said only emergency services and one-third of normal medical activity would be maintained during the strike.

The Sanitas Federation, Romania's largest healthcare and social assistance union, said it was proceeding with the general strike after a mediation meeting on Monday at the Presidential Administration ended without a concrete solution.

“We reiterated that the healthcare system needs urgent measures so it can care for patients as they truly deserve," Sanitas said in a statement, adding that the interim government had "ignored any form of social dialogue" before discussions resumed following a court decision suspending government steps related to the draft pay law.

The federation said representatives of the Presidential Administration agreed that its demands were "correct, well-founded, and necessary," but noted that the final decision on the legislation rests with Parliament. Sanitas said it would continue talks with parliamentary parties while also attending discussions at the Health Ministry on issues that can be addressed during the caretaker government's mandate.

“Until a new decision is taken by the federation's statutory bodies, the strike schedule remains unchanged. Therefore, I am telling our colleagues that on July 28 the general strike in the healthcare system begins," Sanitas president Iulian Pope said after Monday's meeting.

On Tuesday morning, Pope urged healthcare workers to remain united.

“What we are asking from politicians is not privileges. We are asking for responsibility toward the people who work in the system and toward patients. We are asking them to understand that healthcare cannot be run against the people who keep it standing," he wrote on Facebook.

The situation doesn’t affect all hospitals, however. According to Romanian public broadcaster TVR Info, employees from all 13 state hospitals in Iași County joined the strike. Meanwhile, for example, staff at the Piatra-Neamț County Emergency Hospital will not participate because they belong to a different trade union, hospital manager Alexandru Patrașcu told Agerpres.

The union said the draft of the unified wage law could reduce the income of some healthcare employees while freezing others' salaries for several years, according to TVR Info. It also cited a shortage of around 30,000 staff in Romanian hospitals, alongside concerns over capped bonuses, lower payments for weekend and holiday work, a hiring freeze, and the reduction or elimination of certain allowances.

The reform is one of the milestones Romania must complete under its National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). The measure is linked to EUR 770 million in EU funding.

The general strike follows a two-hour warning strike held on July 20, during which hospitals also limited activity to emergency cases and one-third of regular medical services.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/George Călin)