Romanian healthcare workers stage warning strike, threaten full walkout from 28 July over pay law

The two-hour warning

Staff across Romania's public health system walked out between 09:00 and 11:00 on Monday, 20 July 2026, in a warning strike called by the SANITAS federation. The action covered more than 480 healthcare units nationwide, with participants including doctors, nurses, porters and auxiliary staff. Emergency care continued as normal, handled by roughly one-third of the workforce who remained on duty. At Bucharest's Floreasca Emergency Hospital, dozens of employees held banners reading "Stop humiliating medical staff" and "Make health a priority."

We did not choose the strike. The government pushed us towards it. After years in which successive governments postponed real reforms, broke commitments and treated health staff as a mere budget expense, the Bolojan Government decided to shut the door on social dialogue for good and impose a pay law drafted without real negotiation with those it affects.

The bonus system at the centre of the dispute

The unions' sharpest objection targets a new three-tier bonus structure that replaces allowances tied to working conditions. Under the draft law, level-1 bonuses can go to at most 10% of employees, while levels 2 and 3 are capped at 20% of staff each. Union leaders argue that more than 30% of health workers would lose all bonuses despite unchanged duties, and that night, weekend and public-holiday supplements would fall to as little as 3–5 lei per hour.

Bonuses are limited from three angles: by main budget holders, by funding source, and now a new restriction that only 10% of staff can receive full-risk bonuses. We don't know how we will choose who gets them, and our calculations show that those working in high-risk places exceed that percentage.

Pay cuts and staffing shortages

Union representatives say some employees stand to lose up to 1,000 lei per month once the new law takes effect. The draft also maintains a hiring freeze, which unions say leaves wards understaffed and personnel exhausted. Husanu noted that Floreasca Hospital, a major emergency receiving point, has seen resignations as staff leave for lighter workloads in other hospitals or abroad.

Political response and next steps

Former labour minister Florin Manole, now a PSD deputy, told RFI that the unions' grievances are justified and should be incorporated into the bill where the budget allows. He cautioned that any amendments must respect Romania's deficit-reduction commitments and the overall wage-bill envelope. Manole added that the job-classification portion of the law was completed in 2024 with World Bank assistance, but the full project remains unfinished despite being a milestone under the national recovery plan (PNRR).

Yes, they are right to be dissatisfied. They have presented a series of problems they see in the draft law. The issue is not whether a draft appears in an imperfect form; the problem is only when, after consultations, suggestions and amendments, those observations are not integrated and the draft does not improve.

Union confederations expect a meeting with political parties on Tuesday and have also requested talks at Cotroceni Palace with President Nicușor Dan's office. SANITAS has already set 28 July as the start date for an unlimited general strike if the bill is not amended.

Wider discontent and precedent

The pay bill also faces opposition from education unions, who say it ignores commitments made after the 2023 general strike, including a pledge that a senior pre-university teacher's maximum salary should match that of a specialist doctor. A previous health-sector general strike took place in 2016 but was ruled illegal by a court after its first day. In early June 2026, around 15,000 SANITAS members protested in Bucharest's Victory Square and began a Japanese-style slowdown, signalling that Monday's two-hour action is an escalation in a months-long campaign.