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Education union: Memorandum not enough, not much of a guarantee from a legal point of view
The memorandum whereby the government undertakes to provide additional guarantees regarding the pay of entry level teachers is not much of a guarantee from a legal point of view, president of the 'Spiru Haret' Education Unions Federation Marius Nistor said on Thursday.
"I don't think it's enough. A memorandum does not provide a lot of guarantees from a legal point of view, and on the other hand our politicians have shown us that no regulatory act and no law can carry any guarantees, as long as those who promote the laws in question are the first to delay their enforcement. The government and the justice minister must answer why exactly the union members' requests could not be set forth in an emergency ordinance. We only received a press statement from the Justice Ministry, but we didn't get any answer from the justice minister. Therefore there is obviously a lot of suspicion on our part, on the part of the entire teaching staff," Marius Nistor told TV broadcaster Digi 24.
He explained that the memorandum includes just a part of the proposals, specifically the one referring to the nationwide average gross salary as the equivalent of the pay of a beginner with long-cycle studies, and the one about the installment payable as of January 1, but other demands of the education unions are not included in the document.
As regards the protest of education employees announced for Friday in Bucharest, Marius Nistor encouraged trade unionists to participate massively and present their grievances.
"Tomorrow's protest is the maturity test for my colleagues in education. We estimate a participation of 20,000 people, this is also the limit set by the Bucharest City Hall, the Gendarmerie and the Police. United we are strong and I want us to show resolution and determination in everything we do," Marius Nistor also said.
He added that no matter how many teachers continue the strike or how many end their strike action, the state of dissatisfaction lingers on and will affect society in the long term.
"The more [the government] put off solving our colleagues' legitimate issues, the more dissatisfaction, tensions in the system and mistrust in what they could do built up," the union leader said.
The government approved on Thursday a Declaration with an annexed memorandum, as an "additional guarantee" for the pay policy applicable to the personnel in the national education system, in accordance with the relevant request of the teaching staff. The education minister stated that the union representatives were consulted for writing the memorandum.
The general teaching strike kicked off on May 22.