Bolojan Premier, where the austerity in the Romanian state starts: ANCOM says that it applied austerity, so 5 employees from 674 left and net salaries increased, until they reached the average of 2,600 euros. “Institution swollen with sinecuri”

We have a new designated prime minister, in the person of Ilie Bolojan, who will have to be validated by the Parliament. The forested cuts are not for the first time. What made an institution with 674 employees in the previous “austerity”, the one in 2024 can be a starting point in the way the richest institutions react in the public system.

The National Authority for Administration and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) says that it has applied the “Austerity Ordinance”, during 2024, according to a response to Hotnews. The “austerity ordinance” was given in May 2023. The state hoped to make savings of 5.3 billion lei.

The austerity measures were transposed in Law 296/2023, with applicability from November 2023, and others from January 1, 2024.

When applied the ordinance, ANCOM increased by almost 11%, respectively by 1271 lei, the average salary. The average basic net salary reached ANCOM of 12,934 lei, the equivalent of almost 2,600 euros.

In addition, over 630 employees received almost 400,000 euros in 2024.

The situation of 2023

The Communications Regulatory Authority (ANCOM) is headed by former social democrat Valeriu Zgonea. ANCOM was recently given as an example by the USR leader, Dominic Fritz, as a “inflated institution”.

HotNews.ro consulted the official data of ANCOM. They show the following situation:

At the end of 2023, ANCOM had a total of 674 employees, of which 629 employees with higher education (which represents 93% of the total), assigned as follows:

• 53% technical studies
• 26% economic studies
• 11% legal studies
• 10% other higher education.

In 2023, the actual personnel expenses were over 183.1 million lei, of which the salary expenses in kind related to the holiday vouchers exceeded 940,000 lei, while the performance premiums were missing.

The average net basic salary, including the increase for preventive financial control (CFP), was 11,663 lei.

The situation of 2024

At the end of 2024, after the reorganization required by Law 296/2023, the number of employees in ANCOM reduced with 5 persons, and the average monthly net salary increased by almost 11%, respectively by 1271 lei.

Thus, at the end of 2024, ANCOM had a total of 669 employees, out of which 626 employees with higher education (which represents 93.57 % of the total) as follows: 52.56 % technical studies, 25.72 % Economic studies, 11.34 % legal studies and 10.38 % other higher education, the average average salary effective being 12.934 being 1234 being 1234 being a amount of 12.934 being 1234 lei.

The actual personnel expenses increased in 2024 to 190.8 million lei, of which the salary expenses related to the holiday vouchers were reduced to 36,800 lei, while the budget of the prize fund (where the performance premiums) exceeded 3.4 million lei.

ANCOM says he complied with the law: 109 driving positions were cut

Hotnews asked the authority led by Valeriu Zgonea to explain how the austerity ordinance applied.

Regarding the application of the Ordinance, ANCOM emphasizes that “this did not aim to reduce the number of employed positions, but a re -session of the personnel with management positions whose structures did not fulfill the conditions required by law (the need to comply subordinates), on execution functions ”.

“Thus, at the end of 2023, ANCOM went through a reorganization process, which led to the reduction of the number of management positions to a maximum of 8% of the total number of approved positions, under the conditions of art. A significant percentage of all the existing positions at the institution level ”, the authority communicated.

The employees who lost their management positions were not dismissed, but according to the law they were moved to execution positions.

“As such, the vacation of the 5 positions to which you refer was the consequence of natural departures from the organization, following the termination of work relations under the conditions of labor law (by death, retirement, agreement of the parties), and not of possible dismissals under the conditions of Law no.296/2023,” says ANCOM.

Reducing driving stations did not see in reducing staff budget, which increased

Regarding the increase of the net basic average salary in 2024 compared to the previous year, ANCOM specified that “it is due, in essence, to the increase, in 2024, of the basic salary of the employees with the inflation index, according to the provisions of the collective labor contract, intended to cover the decrease of the purchase power. In this context, we will not, be carried out at the level of the year 2025 ”.

“We mention that, in 2023, no other increases were awarded in the ANCOM except for preventive financial control, mentioned above. During 2023, no performance prizes were awarded and no other bonuses.

During the year 2024, performance raw employees were granted as a result of the process of evaluating the personnel activity for 2023, in a total amount of 1.82% of the salary fund and a total net value of 1,999,338 lei. In 2024 no other bonuses or bonuses nor the CFP increase were granted ”, says the authority.

The first average was 3,163 lei/net

ANCOM communicated to Hotnews questions that the performance premium was paid to 632 employees in 2024. The total was about 400,000 euros.

“In 2024, performance premiums were granted according to the degree of performance indicators, as well as for carrying out projects of special importance for authority, carried out during 2023. The average was 3,163 lei in a net value,” the authority said.

The institution also explained why the performance premiums paid last year does not violate the obligation in Law 296/2023 regarding “the limit of expenses of maximum 1600 lei/year/person for holiday vouchers or other rights granted according to the legal regulations or collective labor contracts”.

“The phrase of the law,” says ANCOM, “exclusively considered those rights related to the recovery of work capacity of the nature of the holiday vouchers (holiday bonuses, rest tickets, etc.), and not all the rights that can be granted according to the law or the collective labor contract, which are not related to the recovery of the work capacity.”

“In the application of the above-mentioned legal provisions, ANCOM has officially confirmed the scope of the legal prohibition with the initiator of the draft law. Moreover, we mention that the performance premium is a salary right (adding to the basic salary) granted under the conditions of the legislation regulating the remuneration within the ANCOM, being paid from the budget chapter 10.01.08 Money, unlike holiday vouchers, which are financed from the budget chapter 10.02.06 entitled Wage expenses in kind, the latter representing valuable vouchers, granted under the conditions of the Government Emergency Ordinance no.8/2009 regarding the granting of holiday vouchers ”.