Dan Perchun
“I prefer not to speculate on this issue, but when we announce a decision, it must be final, clear, and predictable for everyone… It is obvious that salaries will not go down. We are discussing a raise, as well as the form in which it will be provided and the effective date of the law on wages,” the minister said.
He noted that the government is in constant discussion with the Ministry of Finance on this issue, and a new round of consultations with labor unions is scheduled for next week.
For her part, Finance Minister Victoria Belous stated that the decision on wages depends on the finalization of tax policy and estimates of future budget revenues.
“Depending on the tax policy we propose to Parliament for approval and preliminary revenue estimates, we will move on to the next stage—wage policy,” Belous explained.
Salary increases are not limited to teachers
The minister stated that the authorities are seeking solutions that will allow teachers and other categories of workers who were previously promised raises to receive additional income as early as this year.
It is worth noting that Parliament returns from recess on August 24. Thus, provided there is the political will, the authorities still have the opportunity to adopt and publish the relevant changes by September 1, so that teachers can begin the new school year with a clear understanding of what salary they can expect.
“We are in the process of consultations through August 21. Depending on the tax policy we propose to Parliament for approval and preliminary revenue estimates, we will move on to the next stage—wage policy. Since any wage policy must be based on the revenue we expect to receive,” the minister explained.
The authorities also intend to ensure greater fairness in public sector wages and guarantee that no employee will receive a salary lower than what they received the previous year.
In addition, there is another unresolved issue. Today, according to the finance minister, the country’s president and members of parliament earn less than rank-and-file civil servants. And this, in her opinion, is unfair given the level of responsibility and complexity of these positions.
None of the ministers has yet specified the exact amount of the pay raise for teachers, nor the mechanism or timeline for its implementation.
Unions are ready to stage protests
The labor unions have reacted to this “uncertainty.” The Federation of Education and Science Trade Unions (FSEȘ) has announced a series of protests should the pay raise provided for in Law No. 270 not be implemented as of September 1, 2026.
Trade unions in Chișinău also intend to support these actions. The Chisinau Regional Center of Education and Science Trade Unions called on the authorities to fulfill their commitments to raise the salaries of education sector workers and warned that, in the absence of concrete decisions, it would support the protests announced by the Federation of Education and Science Trade Unions.
Margareta Sîrbu, chair of the Chisinau Territorial Sectoral Trade Union Center for Education and Science, published an open letter on this matter.
“We are not demanding privileges or political favors. We demand that the commitments made be fulfilled and that salaries for education sector workers be increased starting September 1, 2026.
We have negotiated. We have discussed. We have presented arguments. We have protested. We have returned to the negotiating table. We made compromises. We gave time and trust.
But after every new round of negotiations, I have to go back to the people and explain to them why the results we negotiated aren’t reflected in their incomes. “This is perhaps the hardest part of my job,” Margareta Syrbu writes in her letter.
Expenditures and revenues must be balanced—not only in the budget, but also in citizens’ pockets.
Against this backdrop, City Councilmember Denis Shova presented a simple calculation. According to him, cumulative inflation reached nearly 12% in the first six months of 2026.
“What does this mean in practice? It means that teachers, doctors, educators, social workers, and other public sector employees have already lost about 12% of their purchasing power, since prices have risen while their salaries have not been adjusted for inflation. The math is simple: prices are up 12%; the real incomes of public sector workers are down at least 12%; and the government’s promises remain just promises,” said Denis Shova.
The debate intensified after President Maia Sandu stated on a television program that she did not consider it feasible to implement a salary increase effective September 1.
“I don’t think this can be implemented as of September 1, given that we are already in August. However, since the situation regarding tax policy has become clearer, we will see what resources the government can secure and how they relate to expenditures under the wage law. Expenditures and revenues must be balanced,” emphasized Maia Sandu.
Moldova is a parliamentary republic, but in practice it is clear that the real political impetus often comes from the presidential office. So, the ball is once again in the president’s court.
It’s not an election year—so, of course, one could afford to postpone decision-making. But on the other hand, Maia Sandu is not in the habit of leaving such issues without a political response. And one gets the impression that this is precisely the decision the ministers are now waiting for.
Most importantly, teachers are waiting for it—teachers who are set to return to schools in less than three weeks and who still don’t know what salary to expect.
