The general strike and protests in education continue. The teachers do not give up their demands after Monday’s discussion with President Klaus Iohanni. Education employees are protesting, on Wednesday, in several cities in the country and shouting in unison: “We are not giving in”, meanwhile the head of the stable called the leaders of the coalition for talks to unlock the crisis in education.
The teachers do not give in and take to the streets
The teachers took to the streets in Buzău, Constanța, Iaşi, Motru, Târgu Jiu and Galați and say they will not give up until their demands are resolved.
“Uneducated people, mass to be manipulated”, “Education saves the nation”, “Unfortunately, we do not give in”, “We want decent wages”, “Without education any nation dies”, these are just some of the messages of the teachers to the governors.
The president of the Free Trade Union of Pre-University Education Constanţa, Mitică Iosif, said that the governors are making fun of the teaching staff.
“Ever since February, they announced the calendar of protests, and there it was very clearly said that, if they don’t talk to us, if they don’t adopt the measures that education needs, now in May, we will start the strike. We are in the second week of the strike, we are resisting the pressures, we are making sacrifices, and they are making fun of us”, said Mitică Iosif, according to News.
It is the second week of a general strike in schools across the country. After protesting in the Capital yesterday, the teachers from Buzău went out again to the streets, at home. On Wednesday, a new protest rally is taking place in front of the Buzau Prefecture.
“We want our dignity back,” say the teachers from Buzo, who declare themselves offended by the outcome of the negotiations so far. On the other hand, the leader of the trade unionists in Buzoia education sent a call for unity. “We need to be united and not give in,” says Ion Dobre, the leader of the Buzău Pre-University Education Union, according to the local publication Sansanews.
Rally in front of the Prefecture of Iasi
Almost 1,500 teaching and non-teaching staff occupied the area in front of the Prefecture in the context of the general education strike.
They started gathering at 10:30 am and are protesting against low wages and the underfunding of Romania’s education system. “50 percent!”, “We don’t give in!” and “Unity!” chanted the participants of the protest rally, writes Ziarul de Iasi.
Laviniu Lăcustă, the leader of USLIP Iași, conveys to the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă, in the speech delivered in front of the protesters, that “the teachers are not your army”.
The union leader also had a message for the future prime minister: “Mr. Marcel Ciolacu, the baccalaureate is not given at 30, but at 19”. The Minister of Internal Affairs, Lucian Bode, was not forgotten either, suspected of plagiarizing his doctoral thesis.
A large-scale protest by teaching staff took place on Tuesday in Piaţa Victoriei. The trade unionists announced that the strike will continue.
Posters from the teachers’ protest in the Parliament
On Wednesday, USR brought placards from the teachers’ protest to Parliament, to attract the attention of colleagues from the governing coalition.
“I brought the Romanians’ voice to the Parliament, as every time PSD and PNL ignore their problems. It’s time for the teachers to receive the requested raises, and PSD and PNL to cut from the special pensions, from the purchases of cars made with dedication, from the sinecures created on the strip to please the active party.
Maybe at least this way, from the teachers’ placards, Nicu and Marcel will find out what the real situation is, what miserable salaries the debutante teachers have, while they no longer know how to divide their functions, the bully, and think about multiplying their own privileges” , said USR deputy Cristian Seidler.
