Decoding Romanian labour protests: insights from a topic modeling approach

Labour protests in Romania have been shaped by a complex interplay of historical political transitions, economic transformations, and shifts in trade union influence. This article provides an in-depth exploration of recent labour mobilisations, focusing on the industrial actions that took place between 2021 and 2022, a period marked by post-COVID-19 economic recovery and legislative reforms. Using natural language processing (NLP) techniques, this study analyses press releases from Romania’s official news agency to identify recurring themes and patterns in union-led protests. The findings highlight key drivers of labour unrest, including wage stagnation, chronic underfunding in the public sector, particularly in education and healthcare, and broader governance concerns. Furthermore, this study situates these protests within Romania’s evolving socioeconomic and political landscape, providing a comprehensive contextual analysis. By integrating historical perspectives with computational analysis, this research offers a nuanced understanding of contemporary labour movements in Romania and their implications for industrial relations and social policy.