One of the biggest unions representing the employees in Romania’s public healthcare system, Sanitas, announced on Thursday, April 19, a series of protests in the following month, which will culminate with a general strike on May 11.

The union also plans a big protest in Bucharest, on April 26, to which some 10,000 people are expected, and a warning strike on May 7.

The unions will protest the “chaos” in the public healthcare system, where some employees had their revenues significantly reduced despite the Government’s promises that salaries would increase. Some employees in the healthcare system saw their wages decline by RON 500 to RON 1,100, according to Sanitas leader Leonard Barascu, local News.ro reported..

Employees in public hospitals have been protesting in the past weeks against the changes in the way bonuses are granted in the healthcare system.

The Government announced that it increased the doctors’ salaries in March. However, the bonuses were cut and other categories of employees in the system, especially the auxiliary personnel, saw their actual income decline, according to the unions. Health minister Sorina Pintea said only 10% of the healthcare employees had their salaries reduced and that hospital managers should find solutions to apply the new bonus system so that no employees see their revenues reduced.

editor@romania-insider.com