The Federation of Free Education Unions and the Federation of Education Unions “Spiru Haret” announce that they will continue the general strike in response to the governors’ offer for teachers, and say that the government “is solely responsible for the continuation of this extreme form of protest”.
“After a three-day break in negotiations, the Executive did not come up with a solution that would end the conflict in education. We observe how the Government, through its spokesperson, is proposing the same premiums/vouchers that the education workers refused last week. We no longer have a prime minister, we no longer have ministers to negotiate with? Since Friday, I have been waiting for the invitation to the talks, but everything was reduced to a message sent in a press briefing supported by the spokesperson of the Executive”, it is stated in a press release issued on Sunday by the two trade union organizations.
“The Romanian government must understand, at least now, in the twelfth hour, that it has not yet resolved the essential requirement: the issuance of a GEO guaranteeing that, in the new salary law, the salary of the debutante teacher will be at least equal to the average salary gross per economy, a provision that was removed from the Pre-University Education Law. The fact that the Government of Romania refuses to issue such a normative act, which would guarantee what was removed from the Pre-University Education Law and what was agreed in December 2022 with the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă (a salary scale according to which the salary of the debutante teacher to be at least equal to the average gross salary in the economy, and the salary should take into account degrees and seniority) makes employees believe that, in fact, the Executive does not even want to grant decent salaries in education through the new salary law” , the trade unionists also show.
At the same time, they remember what their claims are.
“We note that, at the last negotiations held with the Government representatives, on Thursday, May 25, 2023, our requests were clear:
• Salary increase of 25%, on average, until the entry into force of the Single Salary Law;
• Issuance of an OUG to guarantee that, in the new salary law, the salary of the beginning teacher is equal to at least the average gross salary in the economy, which would mean that average salaries would increase by 60%”.
The President of the “Spiru Haret” Federation of Education Trade Unions, Marius Nistor, declared on Sunday, at Digi24, that the offer presented for the fourth time by the Government is unacceptable and that the strike continues.
He said that the governors will receive a response from the teaching staff on Tuesday, when a large-scale rally is announced in front of the Victoria Palace: “They are invited to come down in front of the people. Maybe they have a distorted image from upstairs.”
Publisher : BP
