Teachers' salaries will be decided in two weeks, Minister Perciun
The Minister of Education and Research, Dan Perciun, promised that a solution to increase teachers' salaries will be found within two weeks, ahead of the start of the school year. This announcement comes in response to protests announced by unions after the government considered postponing salary increases from September 1 to align the Salary Law with the new fiscal policy.
Dan Perciun announced before the Government meeting on August 12 that a final decision will likely be made in the next two weeks, ideally before the start of the school year. He emphasized that the authorities are working to identify the best solutions to meet the expectations of employees in the education sector.
Perciun mentioned that discussions are focused on the entire budgetary sector, which includes not only educators but also employees in social services, law enforcement, and other categories.
“We are trying to find the best solutions to address the reasonable expectations that teachers have”, he stated.
He also noted that the budgetary rectification and the new Salary Law are currently considered “absolute priorities,” and the authorities are committed to clarifying the situation.
Regarding the new Salary Law, the Minister of Education and Research indicated that the project is in the approval process. He added that the final version of the law will differ from the drafts presented so far.
“The salary law is now being reviewed. There are almost 1,000 pages of feedback from various institutions, including the Ministry of Education and Research, which has provided additional suggestions, particularly concerning performance in sports,” Perciun explained.
The minister mentioned that the proposals received will be analyzed, and any changes made to the project will be announced once decisions are finalized.
Minister of Finance Victoria Belous explained that any salary increases must be aligned with estimated budget revenues.
"We must first decide and approve the concept of the fiscal policy. We are in the consultation process until August 21. Already, depending on the fiscal policy that we will propose to Parliament, the pre-approvals and the estimated calculations regarding the receipts, we are coming up with the next step—the salary policy. Because any salary policy must be based on the receipts that we estimate we will make," she concluded.
The official also specified that no civil servant will receive a lower salary than in the previous year.
"We guarantee all civil servants and those in the private sector that no one will receive a lower salary than they received the previous year", the minister noted.
We remind you that the Trade Union Federation of Education and Science has announced protest actions due to the possibility of postponing the salary increases promised to teachers starting September 1st.
In response, education union representatives decided to organize their first protest on August 19th in front of the Government. If the salary increases are not implemented by September 1st, they plan to launch nationwide protests throughout the month.
Additionally, starting October 1st, the unions are considering declaring a state of emergency in education. They have also planned a large-scale union action on October 5th, coinciding with World Education Day, during which they will boycott official festivities.
During discussions between the trade unions and the Ministry of Education and Research, several options were explored, including the possibility of providing provisional financial compensation ranging from 3,000 to 4,000 lei, depending on teaching norms and other criteria. However, union representatives argue that these compensations cannot replace the effective implementation of wage increases beginning September 1.
