Hundreds of trade union members from the education and healthcare sectors are protesting on Monday outside the Romanian Parliament, opposing the fiscal measures proposed by the Bolojan government. The protest is taking place under scorching heat, as meteorologists have issued a red heat warning, with temperatures expected to exceed 40°C (104°F).

At 3:00 p.m., the joint plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate will convene for the government to assume responsibility for the first fiscal package aimed at reducing the national deficit. According to the Constitution, the opposition has three days to file a motion of no confidence following the government's presentation in Parliament.

The protest is being held from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Izvor Park, next to the Parliament building. It is organized by the Federation of Free Trade Unions in Education and the Sanitas Federation.

Protesters from across the country are waving flags and holding signs demanding, among other things, "respect, fairness, and stability in the public sector, balanced pay, an end to political appointments," and the merit-based principle as the sole criterion for public sector employment.

Despite the temperature already reaching 35°C (95°F) at the time of the protest, participants continue to voice their discontent over the proposed fiscal package, for which the Bolojan government is set to take full political responsibility in Parliament.

Protesters, equipped with vuvuzelas, megaphones, umbrellas, and caps in the colors of their respective professions—blue for education unions and red for healthcare—are voicing strong opposition to cuts in hazardous work bonuses. According to union representatives, the measure would reduce their monthly salaries by between 400 and 1,200 lei.

“Monday’s protest is taking place at Parliament because the Government is assuming responsibility there. It made sense to be in front of Parliament on Monday. Initially, the protest was planned for outside the Government. We also obtained approval for Parliament. We were cautious. (…) As things stand, it is very likely that, on September 8, the school year will begin in the streets of Bucharest and in cities across Romania. For the first time in the past 35 years, we are preparing for a different kind of opening. Teachers will stand alongside students in the streets. We want to send a message—not just to Romania, but to the rest of the world,” said Simion Hăncescu, president of the Federation of Free Trade Unions in Education. 

The Sanitas Federation also issued a strong statement:

“We are protesting against the austerity measures that target our members! This is just the beginning.”

Protests against the cap on hazardous work bonuses—limited to 300 lei gross—are also taking place at other public institutions across the country, including local pension offices and regional tax units.

Among the most controversial proposals in the Government’s fiscal package are:

• Raising the general VAT rate to 21%, with a single reduced rate of 11%
• New health insurance rules that would require millions of co-insured or automatically insured citizens to pay 2,430 lei per year to maintain coverage
• An increase in dividend tax from 10% to 16%
• Higher excise duties and increased taxation of banks

Parliamentary parties had until Monday at 8:00 a.m. to submit amendments to the proposed legislation.

Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan stated on Friday, following consultations with unions and employer associations at the Tripartite National Council for Social Dialogue, that regaining credibility with the European Commission, investors, and Romania’s financial partners is of utmost importance. He noted that this initial package of fiscal measures will be discussed at the ECOFIN meeting on July 8.

Furthermore, the Government has invited social partners to nominate representatives for working groups tasked with drafting the next two fiscal packages intended to reduce the budget deficit.

The National Trade Union Bloc has submitted several amendments to the fiscal package, which were forwarded to all political parties. Among the proposals:

• State subsidies for political parties should be granted only in years when Romania meets its budget deficit targets
• The monthly allowance for MPs and Senators should be cut in half, as unions argue that over 100 million lei are spent annually on these allowances, without sufficient oversight on how public funds are used.
  
  Written by de Andreea Unturica |  7 iulie 2025, 12:14