The leader of the Union of Free Trade Unions in Pre-University Education (USLIP), Iasi Laviniu Lacoste, says that it is not the teachers who are putting the national exams at risk, but the government, whose stance has led to the radicalization of the protest. He emphasizes that the Government should have proposed, first of all, a resolution on teachers’ salaries and not to say for two weeks that there is no money. Lacusta’s reaction came after Johannis criticized the teachers for what “they dare” “to complicate the external examination”although they “received everything they asked for from the Government.”

Laviniu Lăcustă said on Thursday in a video intervention on the Facebook page of USLIP Iasi that, according to the first signals, in no educational institution in Iasi, teachers do not accept the latest offer of the government.

• At the same time, Lacusta answered the question – How dare someone complicate the national exams? – addressed the Head of State:
• “Mr. President, it was not the teachers who allowed themselves to threaten exams. The Romanian government claimed for two weeks that it had no money. He offered us vouchers, free days or bonuses. If you really cared about national exams, the government’s proposal could have been released when the strike started. This protest did not come out of sea foam, but after a series of actions held over the past five months.”

The trade union leader from Yesa admitted that the protest was radicalized against the background of the Government’s “defective and offensive” communication.

According to Lakusta, the trade unionists of the county of Iasi are determined to continue the strike, he said that a consultation of the county’s teachers will be held in the coming days.

“I have already received messages from schools. In no educational institution in the district, teachers do not agree to the government’s latest proposal. Our members advise us not to give up. We will convey the government’s emergency decree to schools. We will have a consultation, and on Monday there will be an answer from our colleagues from the district. If they decide to continue the strike, we will continue it,” said Laviniu Lacoste, the leader of the education trade unionists from Iași.

Johannis’ tough message for teachers

President Klaus Iohannis said on Thursday that teachers should end their strike because they had received everything they asked for from the government. The head of state also noted that education was put in the right place thanks to the “Educated Romania” program, which he initiated 8 years ago and which the parliament adopted in a modified form criticized by civil society.

• “I hope that they will get along very well at the system level and that people will go back to school on Tuesday because they no longer have a reason to strike. And then, I think a lot of teachers who are already fed up will come back.
• Also, how dare anyone screw up national exams? There is an entire generation of undergraduates who must go to college. A generation that empowers. They got everything they asked for, why should they continue the strike?” said the head of state, who is in Chisinau at the summit of the European Political Community.

The President claims that the Government has given the teachers everything they asked for, citing the government’s latest salary offer, which the teachers rejected.

• “Recognition by law of the existence of a grid that starts from the average salary in the economy. This was guaranteed by the GEO provided today. Until then, the teaching staff receives 1,000 lei in addition to their salary, and the non-teaching staff, I think, 400 lei.
• The strike lasted a little long. And the question arises as to who negotiates for the teachers, because leaders come and go, they are a kind of interface.
• It is difficult to imagine how these negotiations can work. Therefore, the Prime Minister very correctly decided to issue this order. He understood that these are the right requests,” Yohannis also emphasized.

Teachers rejected the government’s latest offer from Wednesday night and announced they would press ahead with a vote from union federation leaders after talks at Victoria Palace.

The latest proposal of the executive body, passed through GEO, is a salary increase of 1,000 lei gross for teaching staff and 400 lei gross for non-teaching staff, with further gradual salary increases over the next three years according to the upcoming salary law. . The government met on Thursday in a meeting that Prime Minister Nicolae Chuke called extraordinary to approve the GEO.