Romanian education unionists organize street protest on Tuesday, World Teachers’ Day

Romanian unionists affiliated with education union federations FEN and ‘Spiru Haret’ will stage protests outside the Presidential Palace on October 5, the World Teachers’ Day. Spiru Haret union leader Gheorghe Isvoranu said unionists protest over salary cuts and the country's education bill which makes the wage cut measure permanent, although the Constitutional Court said it should be temporary. About 10,000 Romanian education system unionists are expected to participate in protests organized by the Federation of Free Unions in Education (FSLI) outside the president's office Tuesday. Demonstrations in the Victoriei Square will take place between 11.00 hours and 12.30 hours and unionists will leave in a march for the Labor and Education ministries' headquarters. After protests, a delegation made up of unionists will leave for Brussels to present the Romanian education system's problems to EC authorities in the field. The two union federations demand decent salaries and a fair decentralization process of the education system. They ask authorities to allot more money to the sector, take proper measures to stop teachers' migration and stop closing down schools. Mediafax