Education trade unionists picketed the Ministry of Education and Research on Wednesday, November 19, dissatisfied with “the intention of the Executive to further reduce personnel expenses” and warned that such a measure would create “a crisis without precedent”.
Armed with placards that read “Teachers are not the punching bag of your failures” and “Austeritatae is proof of incompetence”, pthe protestors demanded the resignation of the Minister of Education and Research, Daniel David, and chanted: “Repeal!”.
The protesters picketed the headquarters of the Ministry of Education. PHOTO FB FSE Spiru Haret
“Given that, after the aberrant anti-education measures ordered by Law No. 141/2025 and subsequent acts, education is already faced with a lack of qualified staff, inadequate salaries, excessive bureaucracy and an increased level of professional stress, The government wants to cut another 10% from the budget and create an unprecedented crisis,” the representatives of the “Spiru Haret” Federation of Trade Unions in Education wrote on Facebook.
“Such a measure is not only inopportune, but also profoundly unfair”
Members of the Federation of Free Trade Unions in Education, the Federation of Trade Unions in Education “Spiru Haret” and the National Trade Union Federation took part in the protest “Alma Mater”.
“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’ are protesting against the Executive’s intention to further reduce personnel expenses in the education system, through a new normative act that is being discussed these days behind closed doors at the Victoria Palace. We consider that such a measure is not only inopportune, but also profoundly unfair, with consequences serious effects on the educational system“, the trade unionists said in a press release on Tuesday.
The trade unionists drew attention to the fact that education is already facing a lack of qualified staff, inadequate salaries, excessive bureaucracy and an increased level of professional stress, and these new cuts would risk creating “an unprecedented crisis and a serious violation” of children’s right to education.
“It is obvious that the experts who work on identifying solutions to reduce the budget deficit do not concretely know the activity in the education system. We already have thousands of children who do not have qualified teaching staff in the classroom, and every day hundreds of teachers, including those from higher education, give up the hours they have to pay by the hour. Any cut that will be decided in the next period will lead to the worsening of the personnel crisis, with direct consequences for the children“, say the organizers.
“Education is not to blame for cross-party corruption!”
The unions ask the parties in the governing coalition to abandon the respective measures:
“Education is not to blame because those who were in power in recent years did not solve the problem of special pensions! It is not education’s fault that the governments of Romania were not able to make the necessary reforms to receive money from the PNRR! Education is not to blame for cross-party corruption! Do not sacrifice, once again, the education system to cover the gaps!”.
