If Dragoș Pîslaru, the interim Minister of Labor, will not initiate negotiations with the trade unionists from Health on the new salary law, the doctors threaten that a general strike could start any time after June 21.
Union leaders claim that although they have met all the legal conditions to trigger the general strike, the authorities have so far given no sign that they are willing to negotiate on the demands made by the Health staff.
The president of the Sanitas Bucharest branch, Viorel Husanu, explained to “Adevărul” that the trade union federation followed exactly the procedure stipulated by the law, and is now waiting for the Government to come to the negotiation table. Otherwise, after the expiration of the legal term, doctors and other employees in the system will go on general strike.
“If the Government will not take into account our demands, after June 21 we will go on a general strike. According to the law, we will have to wait until then, but otherwise we have met all the criteria to go on strike. We have notified the Government for consultations, and in the absence of them, we have declared a labor conflict, which means that we can start a general strike.
We decided on June 10 to have a discussion with the Government, after which we have to wait at least ten days for negotiations. We are still waiting for him to negotiate with us. After this period, we have the right to initiate a general strike at any time. All the Government can do is respond to our requests”declared Viorel Husanu.
The trade unionist also specified that there was only one meeting with the Minister of Labor, Dragoș Pîslaru, when he presented them with the new draft law, and the Ministry of Health did not offer any guarantee that the doctors’ claims would be supported before the Government.
“Apart from that meeting with Minister Pîslaru, in which we learned about the provisions of the law, we have not received any feedback so far about the claims we have. Also, the Ministry of Health only took our proposals, but they told us that they cannot guarantee that they will be supported before the Ministry of Labor or the Government”he explained.
Actions in court against the interim Government headed by Ilie Bolojan. Sanitas also wants to notify the European Commission
In addition to the pressure exerted through the threat of a strike, Sanitas has also started legal proceedings to block the adoption of the new wage law by the current executive.
The union leaders dispute the right of the Government led by Ilie Bolojan to initiate such a law, as it is only in practice.
“We filed two actions in court. One on the merits, in which we claim that the current government, in office, does not have the right to legislative initiative and that the negotiations were only simulated. The second action is a presidential order, with a deadline of Thursday, by which we request the suspension of the measures to vote on the law until the judgment of the action on the merits”Viorel Husanu also reported.
Total war on the budget workers’ salary law. The unions are threatening to complain to Brussels and block the tranches from the PNRR
In an intervention of the past few days for “Adevărul”, the vice-president of Sanitas, Răzvan Gae, also threatened with a general strike and referral to the European Commission if the Ministry of Labor does not accept the new package of proposals for the wage law.
“If the demands are not met, Sanitas will initiate legal procedures: first a two-hour warning strike, then, if it is not resolved, a general strike. In parallel, we will notify the European Commission, through the affiliated European unions, warning that the dialogue was only a facade”reported Răzvan Gae the other day.
Previous protests
The tensions in the health system are not new. On June 9, the Sanitas Federation called a Japanese strike, and health workers wore white armbands to draw attention to their grievances.
“The Sanitas Federation launches the Japanese strike on June 9 with the wearing of the armband. We want to send a clear message to the authorities, a warning and a call for dialogue. This approach is not the final goal of our actions”the trade unionists announced then.
Also, on June 3, approximately 15,000 doctors took to the streets in front of the Government to protest the way the Ministry of Labor is handling the payroll process.
What does the new wage law provide and what are the demands of trade unionists
The salary bill, which would enter into force on January 1, 2027, introduces a unique calculation grid, based on different coefficients for each position, multiplied by a reference amount established annually by the budget law. The new grid has 12 thresholds and promises to reduce the differences between institutions, but also to eliminate some controversial increments.
In the field of Health, the estimated salaries for doctors are as follows: a primary care doctor would benefit from a gross salary of approximately 16,400 lei, calculated on the basis of a coefficient of 4 multiplied by the reference amount of 4,100 lei. A specialist doctor would receive around 13,120 lei gross (coefficient 3.2), and a resident in the first year would have a gross salary of approximately 7,872 lei (coefficient 1.92).
The figures, while an increase from current levels, fall far short of union demands, which demand a higher benchmark and fairer ratios.
The trade unionists request a reference value of 4,325 lei, correct and fair salary coefficients, keeping the shift increase at 15%, keeping the 100% increase for work performed on Saturdays and Sundays, as well as including TESA staff in the same annex as the sanitary staff.
