Romania’s draft Wage Law for the budgetary sector is facing growing criticism from multiple professional categories, complicating the government’s efforts to adopt the legislation before the end of June as required under the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF/PNRR).
The bill, which has more than EUR 770 million in grants attached as a reform milestone, was drafted during the period in which the Labour Ministry was controlled by the Social Democratic Party (PSD). However, PSD leaders have distanced themselves from the current version of the legislation, arguing that interim labour minister Gabriel Pîslaru selected the least acceptable variant among several options left by former minister Florin Manole before his resignation at the end of April.
Initially presented by the interim government of prime minister Ilie Bolojan as a framework aimed at eliminating opaque bonuses and creating a more coherent salary structure across the public sector, the draft has since triggered protests and criticism from an expanding range of professional groups.
Trade unions in the police and healthcare sectors were among the first to protest, followed by magistrates and representatives of the education sector.
Critics argue that the complexity of the legislation conceals provisions producing uneven effects across the public sector, including situations in which some employees could lose income after promotions or seniority increases. The same complexity hinders quick evaluation of the validity of such claims.
One of the most controversial aspects of the bill concerns the remuneration of politicians and senior public officials. According to Digi24, salaries for top state positions would rise immediately after the law enters into force, while many other categories face frozen or reduced income.
The president of Romania would receive a monthly net salary of RON 19,200 (nearly EUR 3,700), while the prime minister and the presidents of the two parliamentary chambers would earn RON 18,000 net. The increases, ranging between RON 2,800 and RON 4,500 (EUR 540-865) net for senior officials, stem from the updating of salaries that have remained frozen since 2018.
Ministers would receive RON 15,600 net, while senators and deputies would earn RON 14,400 net.
Prime minister Bolojan defended the need for the reform but acknowledged that prioritising salary increases for dignitaries would be politically difficult to justify.
Speaking to Digi FM, Bolojan said he had instructed interim labour minister Pîslaru to discuss possible amendments with the European Commission regarding the timing and structure of the increases.
iulian@romania-insider.com
(Photo source: Vlad Ispas/Dreamstime.com)
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