Finance Minister Andrian Gavrilița has said the state budget cannot finance a teacher pay rise or higher salaries for other public-sector employees without the fiscal reform that was withdrawn following widespread public opposition.
The same minister had recently promised public employees salary increases of between 10% and 30%. He is now indicating that even inflation-linked indexation may not be possible after the government abandoned its proposed tax changes.
Critics argue that the lack of funding for teachers contrasts sharply with plans by the ruling PAS party to increase salaries for senior officials. According to the figures cited, the basic monthly salaries of the President, Prime Minister and Speaker of Parliament could rise to 65,100 lei. Ministers would receive almost 42,000 lei, while MPs would earn approximately 37,000 lei.
These figures cover basic salaries only. Senior officials may also receive bonuses, allowances and other compensation, meaning their total monthly income can be considerably higher. Opponents of the government say this demonstrates that money can be found for top officeholders but not for a teacher pay rise or meaningful increases for lower-paid public employees.
They also point to the continued expansion of staffing at ministries and other central government institutions. The government regularly announces new positions in state agencies, apparently without encountering the same financial constraints cited when teachers and other public employees request higher salaries.
The dispute has therefore raised broader questions about budget priorities. While officials argue that sustainable salary increases require additional revenue, critics say the government is protecting spending on senior officials and an expanding central bureaucracy while asking teachers to accept stagnant pay. For educators, the central issue remains whether the promised teacher pay rise has merely been postponed or effectively abandoned following the collapse of the fiscal reform.
