The National Trade Union Confederation of Moldova (CNSM) organised a picket today, 13 December, in front of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova. The trade unionists expressed their deep concern about the deteriorating social and economic situation of workers in the country and demanded decent wages.

Gathered from different districts of the country, the trade unionists chanted slogans: “We want a decent life”, “Decent wages”, “Invest in education”, “Value our work”, “We demand a wage increase”, “With such wages, kindergarten and school die”.

The participants of the picket came with an appeal to the authorities with the following demands:

1. To set the minimum wage in the country at 6000 lei from 1 January 2025 and to use it for planning the state budget expenditure for 2025;

2. To increase by 35% the basic reference values (culture, social assistance, civil servants in local authorities, etc.) and those used to calculate the salaries of teaching, scientific, academic, teaching and scientific staff, and staff in the occupational group “public order and state security”, etc;

3. Allocation of 50 million lei to guarantee the right to balneosanatorium treatment for insured persons.

We requested a minimum wage of 6000 lei, but the cabinet of ministers has informed us that it will be capped at 5500 lei. This amount does not align with the current challenges faced by workers and trade union members,” said Igor Zubcu, president of the National Trade Union Confederation of Moldova.

In turn, Ghenadie Donos, president of the Trade Union Federation of Education and Science, emphasized the need to declare an exceptional situation in the education sector, as working conditions are precarious, and salaries are neither motivating nor sufficient to meet the basic needs for a decent life.

“We, the participants of the picket, representing more than 284,000 trade union members of the National Trade Union Confederation of Moldova, note the worsening socio-economic situation of the country’s workers. Salaries do not reflect the true value of the work done every day. The increase in gas tariffs, especially during the winter, will affect the entire population and trigger a chain reaction of rising prices for all goods, products, and services, leading to a loss in the purchasing power of wages,” reads the appeal from the picket participants.

The trade unionists stress that the most affected by this situation are low-paid employees, including those earning the minimum wage, who, despite the granted compensation, will still struggle to survive and cover basic family expenses. Currently, the minimum wage does not even cover the minimum subsistence level of 5900.8 lei for both a child and an adult.

The trade unionists emphasized that the Republic of Moldova has made commitments to the European Union, including the transposition of EU Directive 2022/2041, which stipulates that the minimum wage should be 50% of the average wage. Currently, this ratio stands at only 36.5% and is expected to drop to 34.2% by 2025.

The proposed reduction in spending for balneosanatorium treatment was also deemed unacceptable. This cut would further restrict employees’ access to essential rehabilitation services at a time when the number of beneficiaries has already significantly decreased in recent years. Reducing the allocated funds will result in fewer individuals being able to benefit from this entitlement. Over the past decade, the allocation for balneosanatorium treatment for insured persons has remained constant at 30 million lei, while the number of beneficiaries has doubled due to the increased cost of a ticket.

The appeal from the picket participants can be accessed here: http://sindicate.md/en/appeal/

Following the picket, the leadership of the National Confederation of Trade Unions of Moldova (CNSM) met with the leadership of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova to discuss the trade unionists’ demands. Subsequently, Igor Grosu, President of the Parliament, assured that the issue would be addressed in order to find solutions.

Another picket of the Moldovan Parliament is planned for December 19, when the next session of the legislature will take place.

It is worth noting that the picketing action organized by the CNSM was initiated by the members of the Confederal Committee of the National Trade Union Confederation of Moldova at an extraordinary meeting on December 11, 2024. This was done following the initiative of the Trade Union Federation of Education and Science and the demands put forward by education trade unionists.

Additionally, during this week, several work collectives from various institutions across the country, in education, culture, and other sectors, have organized information campaigns and awareness-raising actions at the unit level, highlighting the trade unionists’ demands.

The live broadcast of can be accessed here: https://www.facebook.com/sindicate.md