Dissatisfied Romanian Education Unionists To Boycott Graduation Exam

Simion Hancescu, leader of the Free Education Unions Federation said that all union confederations have agreed to strike on May 31, as the Government's solutions were unacceptable. Hancescu added that the Cabinet disregarded viable alternatives, such as an overall analysis of public sector hiring during the past five years.

Executive president of the "Spiru Haret" union federation Marius Nistor said that 300,000 people were hired in the public sector during the past six years, whereas in the education system 32,000 people were laid off in one year.

Nistor added that union representatives called for the maintaining of current wages and for the reorganization of educational institutions which have made large-scale appointments.

"Alma Mater" Federation leader Anton Hadar announced that university faculty will also join the strike and they will not sit on examination panels for the graduation exam.

Funeriu held talks with education union representatives Tuesday. The Minister called for negotiations in order to avoid a full-blown strike on May 31 and to dissuade unionists from freezing the current school year.

Education unionists will go on a full-blown strike on May 31, the day of the written foreign language graduation exam. The teachers' first form of protest was to stop entering marks in the register on May 13.

Funeriu told MEDIAFAX last week that he would release a set of measures meant to avoid a school year freeze by May 30.

The four education union federations decided to go on strike in protest of the new education law and of the public sector wage cuts, set to come into force on June 1.

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