Romanian teachers call a general strike to demand a salary increase

May 23. (EUROPE PRESS) –

The main teacher unions in Romania have called a general strike since Monday, which has mobilized 150,000 teachers and between 60,000 and 70,000 school support staff, according to organizers.

Romanian teachers are asking for a salary increase since their remuneration currently does not reach the national average salary: it remains at 2,600 Romanian lei (522 euros) and does not reach the national average salary of 4,000 lei (804 euros).

The government of the Prime Minister, Nicolae Ciuca, has tried to negotiate until the last moment with the unions to avoid unemployment, and in a meeting this Sunday tried to convince them that the civil service reform that it is preparing will be enough to meet their demands.

This reform, according to the Romanian newspaper ‘Nepszava’, –which will be finalized in July and will be presented to Parliament for its approval in September– proposes a subsidy of 1,000 lei (201 euros) twice a year for those teachers starting their career or working in places with disadvantaged populations.

However, the teachers reject this “social assistance”, as described by the president of the Free Education Unions, Marius Nistor, and ask that their salary be adjusted to the “social importance” of their job, as well as inflation and the increase in the cost of living.