The Minister of Labor announces changes to the wage law, “after the first consultations”: “We found real problems”
The interim Minister of Labor, Dragoș Pîslaru, presented Sunday evening “conclusions after the first consultations on the wage law” and declared that “there are situations that need to be reanalyzed” and “solutions that need to be adjusted”, but “we are not conducting wage negotiations”.
The official stated that this week there were “two general information sessions”, with public institutions and social partners, and then “consultations followed with occupational families from Health and Culture, Education, self-financed institutions and the Defense and Public Order family”.
“Nearly 100 people have already taken part in the discussions. The consultation calendar is public and we are continuing the meetings in the coming weeks,” he added.
“We fix everything that can be fixed”
Dragoș Pîslaru, who presented the draft salary law on May 25, mentioned that in just a few days he had “already received hundreds of comments, both in meetings and in writing”, and “many are punctual”, while “others raise substantive issues that must be analyzed and, where appropriate, corrected”.
“We found real problems. Some grids are still not laid out correctly. There are situations that need to be reanalyzed. There are solutions that need to be adjusted. And there are legitimate questions that people are waiting for answers to,” the minister continued.
He said that the talks “should have been held a long time ago” and that if the law had entered into force at the originally planned deadline, in 2023, “Romania would have had significantly more budgetary resources available to absorb imbalances and manage the transition to the new system.”
“Today we are working in a completely different context. Romania must reduce the budget deficit, manage significant fiscal constraints and recover major delays in the implementation of the PNRR. At the same time, we face the risk of losing important European funds if the assumed reforms are not completed on time”, Pîslaru explained.
Minister Dragoș Pîslaru also stated that the salary law “must be adopted and implemented by August 31”.
“We correct everything that can be corrected. We listen to all comments. We analyze all proposals. We try to deliver the best possible version in the available time. But we do not conduct salary negotiations,” he also stated.
