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Rescheduled Exams Will Lead To Rescheduled Strikes – Romanian Teachers’ Unions

Romanian teachers’ union members said Monday that, should the national exams be rescheduled, their strikes would be rescheduled as well, to coincide with the new exam dates.
Rescheduled Exams Will Lead To Rescheduled Strikes – Romanian Teachers’ Unions
04 mai 2009, 13:32, English

“Today’s meeting should have taken place Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Now, one day before the exams, it is a little too late. We have come to demand 6% of the GDP and we will not give up on this. The general strike will be organized depending on the final exam schedule set by the minister. More precisely, if she reschedules the exams, we will reschedule the strike,” said Constantin Ciosu, National Education Federation secretary general. He added that no compromise will be made with the education and finance ministers.

Simion Hancescu, vice-president of the Federation of Free Unions in Education said he brings two issues to the meeting: the budget revision that was to the detriment of the education sector, and Law 221, which provides for a 33.4% increase in teachers’ salaries.

Finance minister Gheoghe Pogea said Monday, before the beginning of talks, that he is unaware of the unionists’ problems and that he is “open to dialogue”.

The exam in Romanian language and literature scheduled for Tuesday is to be taken by over 420,000 students. Should the Government fail to find a satisfactory course of action, the unions threaten to hold strikes on May 13 and 21, when the mathematics and history/geography exams are scheduled to take place.