University strikes in Germany and Romania are disrupting the 2026 academic year
By Muntasir • Published Jul 24, 2026 • Updated Sep 20, 2026 • Education Planning, Study in Europe, Education News & Policy
Lecturers in Germany and university staff in Romania walked out in early 2026 over pay and budget cuts, canceling classes on affected campuses.
🇩🇪 Germany: the GEW union led a 12,000-person strike on January 29, 2026 in Berlin, Leipzig, Hamburg, and universities in Brandenburg.
💶 German staff want a 7% pay rise, at least 300 euros a month more.
⏱️ New wage talks are set for February 11-13, 2026.
🇷🇴 Romania: three major education unions protest the "Bolojan Law" austerity measures.
Romanian doctoral stipends were cut from 950 to 500 lei a month.
A major union rally happened outside the Cotroceni Palace on February 25, 2026.
Union leaders say a presidential mediation promise went unfulfilled for months before the renewed protest.
Germany: lecturers demand 7% more pay
On January 29, 2026, around 12,000 education workers walked out across Germany in a strike led by the GEW education union . The action hit universities and research institutions alongside state schools and childcare centers, with the biggest turnouts in Berlin (3,500 people), Leipzig (3,000), and Hamburg (2,500). Universities in Berlin and Brandenburg had already faced strike disruption the day before. GEW represents teachers and academic staff across Germany's 16 federal states, which each set their own public-sector pay scales, so the size and timing of strike action varies by state depending on how talks with each state government progress.
The union is asking for a 7% wage increase for staff employed by Germany's federal states, with a floor of at least 300 euros more a month regardless of current salary. State finance ministers called the demand too high and rejected it in the first round of talks. Berlin's municipal childcare system showed the scale of disruption: 14 of 279 city-run daycare centers closed fully, and most others ran reduced hours.
Negotiations resume February 11 to 13, 2026. Unions say more strikes are likely if the states do not move closer to the 7% demand before then, which means students at affected universities should expect further cancelled lectures and seminars through the winter semester.
Romania: austerity cuts hit university budgets
In Romania, university staff are protesting a package of austerity measures tied to what unions call the "Bolojan Law," named after acting education minister and Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan. The government cut public sector salary funds by 10% and moved to block universities from using their own generated revenue, beyond tuition fees, to cover staff salaries and development costs.
Rectors have pushed back publicly. Liviu-George Maha, rector of Alexandru Ioan Cuza University in Iași, warned that blocking universities' own revenue from covering salary costs shifts all the financial pressure back onto the state budget, the opposite of what the austerity package is meant to achieve. Doctoral student stipends were also cut, dropping from 950 lei to 500 lei a month.
Three major unions, the Spiru Haret Federation, the Federation of Free Trade Unions in Education, and the Alma Mater National Federation of University Trade Unions, organized a joint rally outside the Cotroceni Palace , the presidential seat, on February 25, 2026. Union leaders say a presidential commitment to mediate the dispute within two months went unfulfilled, fueling the renewed protest.
What this means for students
Students at affected German and Romanian universities face cancelled classes, delayed exams, and reduced teaching capacity while the disputes continue. Romania has also had no permanent education minister since January 2026, with Bolojan serving in an acting capacity, which slows any formal resolution. If you study at or plan to apply to a German or Romanian university this year, check directly with your faculty for updated exam and semester schedules before travel or housing bookings.