Students’ associations from five counties have accused the government of lying when it claimed their representatives had been invited on Tuesday for consultations over the teachers’ strike, while students demanded an end to “manipulation” by governors.

The Student Association of Constanta (AEC) said in a press release cited by Agerpres that the AEC, the Bucharest and Ilfius Student Association (AEBI), the Bacău Student Association (AEBc), the Maramures Student Association (AEM) and the Timiş Student Association (AETM) “condemn government lies” about inviting student associations to a meeting on Tuesday when they were not invited.

“On Tuesday, May 23, the Government published the agenda, which states that at 11:00 a.m. there will be consultations with representatives of parent and student associations in connection with the general strike in education. Student associations in the country were not invited to the consultation, so the Government lied about its agenda today. We believe that this lie is aimed at distorting public opinion about the strike, which the Government has repeatedly tried to do in recent days. The governors want to use children under the pretext of national exams to confront the strikers and bring the strike to an end,” the AEC said in a statement.

According to the cited source, representatives of the five associations continue to express their unconditional support for the strike, considering it absolutely necessary.

“We are glad that our teachers have finally put their foot in the door and are no longer mocked by the Government. We consider the Government’s proposal for negotiations inconvenient and welcome the teachers’ decision not to accept it. We stand in solidarity with our teachers and urge them not to end their strike until all their demands are met. We want to have well-paid teachers who can live decently on their salaries. It is necessary to urgently stop manipulations by the Government, because the problem is not with the striking teachers, but with the Government! We ask the Government to stop manipulating the strike!”, the statement also reads.

Teachers are defiant and will continue their general strike on Tuesday, while education unions are demanding a “certain solution” to their pay demands.

They demand that a beginning teacher should have a salary of 4,000 lei, and a teacher at the end of his career should receive 7,000 lei.

More than 150,000 teaching workers and more than 70,000 workers from the category of auxiliary teaching and non-teaching staff are on strike.