Vegetable researchers in Buzău are demanding higher salaries and are protesting against the reduction of the doctoral bonus.

Vegetable researchers from the Research and Development Station for Vegetable Growing in Buzău have sent a letter to Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, in which they demand decent salaries and contest the new regulations regarding the bonus for the doctoral title. They emphasize that, despite the intense work and difficult conditions under which they obtained their doctorates, their incomes are far below expectations, ranging from 2,986 lei for assistants to 3,900 lei for those with a doctorate. In contrast, salaries for selling imported seeds start from 5,000 lei. The researchers assert that a doctorate is essential for career advancement and that without funding, there is no research. Their reaction comes after the Prime Minister announced that the bonus for a doctorate will be significantly reduced, a measure that the researchers consider harmful to the agricultural sector.