Healthcare and social workers enter the second day of protests in Bucharest that will see them join a march organized by the Sanitas Federation, which will start in Victoriei Square - in front of the government headquarters - and then make symbolic stops at the Filantropia Clinical Hospital, the St. Maria Clinical Hospital, the Elias University Emergency Hospital and the Sector 1 Social Assistance and Child Protection Directorate General.
The protests kicked off on Monday, February 6, amid dissatisfaction with the Wage Law and the underfunding of Romanian medical and social assistance institutions.
The list of grievances includes an increase by at least 15 percent of the incomes of all health and social assistance employees to offset inflation, the initiation of negotiations between the government of Romania and the social partners on the new bill on public sector wages, ensuring correct and sufficient funding for medical and social assistance institutions.
A delegation of the Sanitas Federation was received on Monday at the government by a team led by the prime minister's advisor Mihnea Claudiu Drumea.
"The delegation presented the claims of the health and social assistance workers in support of which Sanitas organized Monday's rally in Victoriei Square and in the vicinity of five Bucharest hospitals. The members of the government team promised that they will look into our requests and will promptly initiate meetings with Sanitas representatives to identify solutions that could answer the claims of our union members," the trade union organization said in a Facebook post.
The protests of the Sanitas Federation will continue on Wednesday, February 8, with demonstrations in front of the headquarters of political parties. AGERPRES