Education unions accuse teachers of pressure

Representatives of the Federation of Free Education Unions (FSLI) and the Federation of Education Unions "Spiru Haret" accused that school principals and the leadership of school inspectorates would exert pressure on teachers to participate in the national exam simulations, despite the intention to boycott expressed by teachers through a referendum organized by the unions.

• Accusations of pressure and intimidation

According to a statement from the union organizations, numerous teachers would have been urged or even forced to sign documents expressing their agreement to be involved in organizing the simulations. "Although our referendum showed a clear desire to boycott the national exam simulations, we are assailed by signals that more and more colleagues are being forced to sign in order to participate," the union representatives claim. They claim that the pressure would come from the management of some educational units and school inspectorates and that the situation would be "more serious than during the teachers' strike in 2023”. In the opinion of the trade unionists, some school managements would act as "instruments of coercion” of the Ministry of Education and Research.

• Criticism of government policies

The unions claim that the current tensions in the education system are fueled by measures adopted by the Romanian Government, including through the application of Law no. 141/2025. According to them, education personnel would have reached the social category with one of the largest decreases in purchasing power, estimated between 15% and 20%. The trade union organizations mention among the contested measures: increasing the teaching norm; overcrowding of classes; merging of some educational units; reducing the ceiling for granting food allowances and holiday vouchers; non-payment of amounts established by court decisions.

• Boycott of simulations, a form of protest

Trade unionists believe that the refusal to participate in the simulations of national exams represents a symbolic form of protest, intended to send an alarm signal without generating financial losses for teachers. "It is a minimal act of dignity and a test preceding the massive protests at the end of the school year," say representatives of the two trade union federations. They warn that, despite the pressures, there are numerous educational institutions in which teachers could boycott the organization of simulations for this year's national exams.