Education unions take to Court the ordinance sacking 15,000 teachers

Discussions between representatives of the unions and minister Daniel Funeriu failed on Tuesday at the Education Ministry, Union members made up their mind to not accept the ordinance according to which 15,000 jibs in the Education department are to be cut and threaten to attack the normative act in the Constitutional Court through the People’s Attorney.

The announcement was made by the Free Education Unions leader Aurel Cornea. In his turn, Spiru Haret Federation president Gheorghe Isvoranu considers that „the Government’s measure don’t do anything else but reducing the personnel” and „through the salary law we lose all rights gained from 1990 until now”, Romanian TV channel Antena 3 quotes.

Proposals for the enforcement of the ordinance

Minister Daniel Funeriu declared after discussions with union reps that the 114 Ordinance aims for a more efficient spending of the public funds in the education sector. He mentioned having proposed union leaders several measures, including grade I professors, who have worked for over 25 years, will not see their norm reduced by 2 hours anymore – which would lead to saving around 8,000 norms, according to the minister – , equipping classrooms marking the beginning of a new academic cycle (grade I, V and IX) with a larger number of students and increasing the number of working hours for school principles and principle assistants.

„None of these measures will result in groups having to join and to the drop in education quality”, Daniel Funeriu added. He claims that „all unions have expressed their attachment for the reform”.

The Education minister met on Tuesday with union leaders for the first time to discuss ways of reducing some 15,000 jobs in the pre-university academic sector, starting September 1. Their next meeting is scheduled for next Tuesday.

Ordinace 114

According to the emergency ordinance published on December 29 2009 in the Official Monitory, the maximum number of jobs in the pre-university sector will be cut by 15,000 in 2010. The number of teaching jobs financed by the state in this case will be 321,677 during January to August, and will drop to 306,677 in the interval from September to December.

The measure has been approved by the Government on December 23, after Boc IV Cabinet was passed. Education unions announced then that they will contest the ordinance. Union members claim that the measure is an abuse because the decision has been taken without consulting social dialogue commissions and unions. They don’t exclude a strike as a form of protest.