The head of the National Council of Education Trade Unions Dumitru Ivanov welcomes the present administration's responsiveness to trade unions' demands. He voiced hope the teachers will enjoy more benefits the next years, Info-Prim Neo reports. In the yearly teachers' conference earlier this month, Dumitru Ivanov said the teachers are the only category of budget-funded employees who benefited from pay raises this year. From January 1, 2011 and September 1, 2011, their salaries will be again increased by 12.5%. “We were humiliated when the bonuses for teaching degree, working as class master and checking notebooks were cut, but we managed to convince the Government to restore them from September 1,” Dumitru Ivanov said. “We understand that the country is now in a critical financial situation, but we will demand more benefits in the future. A teacher cannot live on a salary of US$100.” Ivanov said the low number of tickets to summer camps and treatment facilities is another problem. According to him, only 10,000 lei was allocated in 2010 for the purpose. Tickets for 1,500 teachers can be bought with this sum. “We will continue to negotiate and demand that the given allocations be increased,” he said. Dumitru Ivanov called on the teachers to be more active when negotiations are held with the Government and Parliament. “The Education Code is being drafted. We will negotiate a new labor convention. We cannot remain indifferent to the things that concern us and on which the quality of our work and remuneration depend,” he said.