Romanian government beset by strikes in all public sectors
The Romanian government is facing a genuine social crisis as the teachers’ strike not only continues but is set to be joined by strikers in all other public sectors, including transportation, paralyzing the planned government rotation of…
Radu Dumitrescu · Journalist
· Updated · 3 min read
The Romanian government is facing a genuine social crisis as the teachers’ strike not only continues but is set to be joined by strikers in all other public sectors, including transportation, paralyzing the planned government rotation of offices.
The general strike initiated by unions in the public education sector in Romania is set to spread to all other public sectors. Teachers will be joined in protest in the coming period by healthcare workers, correctional officers part of the penitentiary police, the national police, railway workers, and other transportation organizations, according to Economedia.ro.
Teachers' unions have announced that strikes and protests will continue after failed negotiations. They are demanding salary increases that the government does not seem willing to accept. A prolonged strike could disrupt critical exams for students, such as the national evaluation and the baccalaureate. The largest protest so far was announced for May 30 in Bucharest, with thousands of education employees expected to attend.
On top of that, unions of healthcare workers have also recently announced that they will protest, a process which may well culminate with stopping work indefinitely. One of the main federations of healthcare unions accused the executive of "salary discrimination" and formed an alliance with all other trade federations in the country (biologists, biochemists, chemists) to coordinate protests. They also say that the Ministry of Labor, headed by Social Democrat Marius Budăi, has been procrastinating in drafting a new law governing salaries.
Penitentiary police officers have announced a Japanese strike for Tuesday, May 30, which will be followed by a stopping of work for 2-4 hours on Wednesday. After that, the Federation of Unions in the National Penitentiary Administration (FSANP) announced that they will block prisons to protest against the special pension reform project. Police officers in the penitentiary system are “tired of being mocked” by the leaders of the governing coalition, according to the press release put out by FSANP.
