Sanitas halts healthcare strike after deputies unblock 6,800 posts and salary bill is postponed

Strike suspended and immediate gains

Romania's largest healthcare union, Sanitas, called off its general strike on 31 July 2026, four days after walkouts began on 28 July. The labour conflict had been running for 24 days, according to the federation, and the suspension came hours after the union's national council met. Members will continue to wear armbands as a visible signal that the protest is paused, not abandoned.

“Astăzi putem spune cu toată convingerea: Am reușit! Am fost auziți! Am demonstrat că SANITAS este o forță organizată, hotărâtă și unită.”

What the union won

On 29 July the Chamber of Deputies approved an amendment to the Health Law that unblocks over 6,800 vacant posts in the public health system, within the limit of the approved budget. Sanitas described the move as a second victory, after its first objective (making the sector's chronic understaffing visible) had been met during the strike. The union also noted that the public-sector salary bill, which had been the primary trigger for the industrial action, was at least postponed.

The wage bill battle

The draft wage law, promoted by the interim government of prime minister Ilie Bolojan and labour minister Dragoș Pîslaru, is considered dead by Sanitas. "Proiectul legii salarizării, așa cum îl 'vând' partidele care fac parte din guvernul interimar, pentru noi, SANITAS, nu mai există," the federation wrote. The union argued for weeks that the bill was inequitable and lacked economic logic, presenting calculations to politicians, parliamentary parties, media, and even World Bank experts. Sanitas also obtained a court ruling confirming that the Bolojan cabinet is interim and lacks the political authority to draft and promote such legislation.

Political terrain and next steps

Sanitas framed the suspension as giving the political class a chance to reset and restart negotiations for a new, fairer salary law. The union set two conditions: talks must produce a different draft that is "mai corect, mai coerent și mai echitabil," and negotiations must be conducted with a political actor holding legal decision-making power, either Parliament or a legitimate, fully empowered government. If no new bill is registered in Parliament, the national council can reconvene and reopen the general strike.

“Nu închidem greva, ci dăm o șansă politicului să se reseteze și să reia negocierile pentru o nouă lege a salarizării.”

Wider union front

Five major national confederations (CNSLR-Frăția, Cartel Alfa, BNS, CSDR, and Meridian) have aligned with Sanitas, extending support actions to education, public administration, and cultural sectors. In a joint statement they declared that Romanian unions were uniting for a common purpose: a salary law that resolves injustices and gives public-sector employees the social value they deserve. The statement insisted that the law must be discussed and negotiated with social partners, not rushed under the pressure of a 31 August deadline.

Reactions and competing narrative

Former health minister Alexandru Rogobete called the suspension "un gest de responsabilitate față de pacienți" and a clear signal that dialogue must produce results, not just promises. He criticized proposals that would have cut incomes and allowances for those working in the hardest conditions, adding that the protest had been legitimate. Meanwhile, the rival Solidaritatea Sanitară union argued that the shelved salary bill would actually increase health workers' earnings, a counter-narrative that some outlets cited as explaining why the strike never became fully general across all hospitals.