The Federation of Free Unions in Education (FSLI), on behalf of over 191,000 union members and on the basis of provisions of article 28 of Trade Union Law 54/2003, urged the People’s Advocate to notify the Constitutional Court on the "unconstitutionality of provisions 1, 2 and 4 of Government Emergency Ordinance 136/2008 establishing certain measures targeting the salary system of education sector employees in 2008".
End-September, the Chamber of Deputies unanimously passed a law stipulating 50% pay hike for all employees in the education sector, which President Traian Basescu promulgated.
However, the government decided to postpone the enforcement of the law until April 1, 2009.
Romanian education trade unionists with the Alma Mater Federation and the Federation of Free Unions in Education, or FSLI, decided to go on a warning strike November 10, followed by a full-scale strike on indefinite term starting with November 18 to protest against government’s decision to block wage hikes in education.