Strike in Healthcare: unions warn of pay cuts, Government insists otherwise

Hospitals within the public health system are facing, for the second consecutive day, the effects of the general strike organised by SANITAS trade unionists. As on the first day of the protest, scheduled operations are not being carried out, admissions are being postponed, and medical staff are attending only to emergency cases.

Although Government representatives have offered assurances that the incomes of healthcare workers will not be affected, union leaders remain unconvinced. They fear that the new pay legislation could, in reality, lead to a reduction in some wages, particularly through the announced reform of salary supplements.

Even the promises made by interim Health Minister Cseke Attila, who stated that other types of supplements would be introduced to replace those set to be abolished, have failed to dispel the trade unionists' scepticism.

Amid the ongoing tensions, Minister Dragoș Pîslaru has stated that the incomes of healthcare system employees will not decrease, whilst discussions between the Government and union representatives continue, with negotiations announced to last a further two weeks.