Education union members refuse to participate in discussions on the new pay law

The Federation of Free Education Unions (FSLI), the “Spiru Haret” Federation of Education Unions, and the “Alma Mater” National Trade Union Federation announced Thursday in a joint press release that they will not attend the discussions scheduled for today at the Ministry of Labor regarding the new pay law.

The three federations state that they do not wish to legitimize, through their presence, a consultation they consider to be devoid of substance.

“We will not use our presence to endorse a mere public relations exercise. The three federations have already conveyed their joint, well-founded, and detailed position during previous discussions. We cannot endorse stopgap solutions or minimal adjustments that do not genuinely address the problems we have highlighted. Given that the government and the Minister of Labor have already told us, bluntly and cynically, that this is the best they can do, our participation in today’s meeting would be completely pointless, serving only the public-image interests of those in power,” states the press release issued by the three labor federations.

They accuse the current draft wage law of violating the regulations adopted by the government following the end of the 2023 general strike in education and argue that the government is not honoring the commitments it made to employees in the education system.

“We draw attention to the fact that the current draft law flagrantly violates the very regulations adopted by the government upon the conclusion of the 2023 general strike. It is a display of hypocrisy and a total disregard for the commitments made to society. What the government is doing today is not only a violation of the law but a direct abandonment of the entire education system, proving once again that education is not a priority for the current government,” the education union representatives added.

„Romanian lawmakers must choose between two options”

In addition, the three federations are calling on Parliament to reject the current bill or to promote a version that reflects the importance of the work carried out by education personnel.

“Romanian lawmakers must choose between two options: to refuse to introduce this pseudo-bill on salary reform or to promote a sound law in which education employees are classified according to the importance of the work they perform, as was the case with the draft developed by the Ministry of Labor in collaboration with World Bank representatives in 2024,” the joint statement further notes.

On Tuesday, the judges of the Court of Appeals suspended the draft law on the remuneration of personnel paid from public funds, at the request of Sanitas.

Thus, the draft published on July 17, 2026, can no longer be introduced or debated in Parliament. The judges found a clear appearance of illegality due to the lack of genuine consultation. In addition, the decision requires the government to resume official negotiations with public sector unions.

The draft law on a unified pay scale is a reform that Romania has committed to under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).