The decision affecting 1.2 million Romanians – Dragoș Pîslaru today announces major changes to the payment of this month's allowances
The interim Minister of Investments and Labour, Dragoș Pîslaru, presents on Tuesday, from 17:00, the main measures included in the new unitary wage law, a normative act that would reform the payment system in the public sector.
Dragoș Pîslaru presents the main measures of the new unitary wage law. Facebook photo
Political sources claim that the parties have reached an agreement to approve the law by July 1.
The new law would enter into force on January 1, 2027 and would affect more than 1.2 million public sector employees.
According to the draft under analysis, the salary reform aims to reduce the differences between salaries in the budget system and limit the increments currently granted.
One of the most important proposed changes is to reduce the ratio between the lowest and the highest salary in the public system, from the current 1 to 12, to 1 to 8.
The project also provides for the establishment of a basic reference salary of 4,325 lei for the public system.
At the same time, the Government is analyzing the limitation of increments and bonuses to a maximum of 20% of the basic salary, compared to the current ceiling of 30%.
Another measure in the draft is the elimination of the food allowance, a benefit currently granted to a large part of public sector employees.
Instead, the project introduces the possibility of granting a performance award of up to 30% of the basic salary, a measure by which the Executive claims that it wants to stimulate efficiency and performance in the administration.
However, the draft maintains the 40% increase for the management of projects with European funds. It would continue to be awarded both to civil servants involved in such projects and to local elected officials, including mayors and chairmen of county councils.
The new unitary wage law is one of the reforms assumed by Romania through the milestones of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and represents one of the most sensitive topics for the budgetary sector, given that the proposed changes can directly affect the incomes of employees in administration, health, education and other public institutions.
