New Romanian govt. met with threats of strike by healthcare workers

The new Social Democrat-led government in Romania, scheduled to be officially invested on Thursday, June 15, was greeted by protests from healthcare workers. They say a general strike will be next if their demands are not heard.

The Solidarity Healthcare Federation announced pickets in hospitals between 12:00 and 12:30 on Thursday. The healthcare facilities were picketed by medical staff without interrupting their activities, “as a warning to the government officials regarding the risk of triggering a general strike,” union representatives said, cited by Digi24.

The Federation has over 20,000 members, including 5,000 doctors, and is seemingly set on initiating a strike. Some of the doctors want to terminate their contracts for on-call shifts, dissatisfied with being paid RON 30-40 (EUR 6-8) per hour.

“From the moment the action is launched, all doctors who perform on-call shifts can join this form of expressing dissatisfaction with the way their participation in ensuring the continuity of medical services is rewarded. A notice of the intention to resign will be sent to the healthcare units and the government on behalf of the subscribing doctors from the dedicated platform of the protest,” the trade union organization stated cited by Adevarul.

Pickets and slowdowns of work took place in Bucharest at the University, Fundeni, and Sfântul Ioan hospitals, and across the country. The protests will continue tomorrow as well. The Union of technical staff in Healthcare (TESA) also announced a demonstration.

The list of demands includes, among others, granting all rights provided by the current Salary Law, adopting the healthcare section of the salary law project negotiated with the Ministry of Health, and implementing it by providing at least 50% of the difference between current basic salaries and those provided in the bill. They also ask for updating the value of meal allowances based on the minimum wage and excluding it from the calculation of the limit applicable to bonuses.

Lastly, medical workers demand the unblocking of positions in the public healthcare system and increasing the share of healthcare expenditures in the GDP to the EU average.

(Photo source: Solidaritatea-sanitara.ro)