Amid first day of general strike, Ministry of Education advances offers for salaries of teaching and non-teaching staff

Amid the first day of general strike in the Romanian schools, the first one in 18 years and the third large-scale protest in the education system in the past 30 years, the Ministry of Education announced on Monday that they are working on the normative acts that would allow the salary of non-teaching staff according to the grids in the legislation, which would mean an increase of 9%. Incentives will also be granted for beginning teachers and for those from disadvantaged areas.

The Ministry of Education announced on Monday that, following Sunday’s discussions with the government, together with the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Investments, the steps to develop the normative acts that would create the legal framework for:

• the salary of all non-teaching staff in state education, at the level of the grids provided by the Framework Law no. 153/2017 on the remuneration of staff paid from public funds, with subsequent amendments and additions, for the year 2022. According to the analysis of the Ministry of Education, this means a salary increase of about 9% and a budget impact estimated at 90 million lei, until the end of the calendar year, for the almost 55,000 beneficiaries from pre-university education and 10,000 from higher education;
• granting a bonus for beginning teachers;
• providing financial incentives for teachers who are assigned to educational units in disadvantaged areas.

“We mention that the granting of financial incentives for teaching staff who work in educational units in disadvantaged areas is one of the objectives included in the draft Law on Pre-university Education, which is currently being voted on in the plenary of the Romanian Senate.We reiterate the fact that education is a national priority for the parties in the current governing coalition,” the Ministry of Education claims.

Education trade unions reject the offer

The Federation of Free Trade Unions in Education, the Federation of Trade Unions in Education “SPIRU HARET” and the National Trade Union Federation “ALMA MATER”, on behalf of the employees in education whose rights and interests they represent, rejected yesterday, May 21, 2023, the so-called offer of the Government Romania.

“We do NOT need social assistance! We are NOT on social assistance! We NEED decent wages! We have NOT decided to strike overnight! We do NOT play political games! IT IS the strike of the school staff, it is the strike of over 200,000 education employees, who are fed up with the indifference of the governors. It is the strike of those who say bluntly: IT CAN’T BE THAT WAY ANYMORE! NOW, more than ever, it is important to show unity,” the trade union argued.

They thanked the parents and students for their support and understanding! “Beware, however, of the manipulations and misinformation on social networks and those that appear in the public space on certain sites! We appeal to both journalists and trade union members to check the information at the level of the territorial trade unions or the representative federations in education! For almost two years we have been sounding the alarm, organizing protest actions”, they say.