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Bucharest – The Romanian government has approved the draft law on the introduction of the European minimum wage, which transposes Directive 2022/2041 on adequate minimum wages in the European Union into Romanian law. The legislation provides for a new mechanism and a new formula for calculating the national minimum wage.
The draft will be debated by the parliament under an emergency procedure.
The introduction of the European minimum wage in Romania is also stipulated by the national recovery plan as objective number 392. Accordingly, the gross national minimum wage will be determined by the government through an objective procedure based on a formula, in consultation with social partners.
According to Labor Minister Simona Bucura-Oprescu, after the law comes into force, the gross national minimum wage will be updated annually based on purchasing power, general wage level and distribution, the rate of wage growth, and labor productivity. “Its amount must be set so that it is not less than 50 percent of the gross national average wage. The draft law would also strengthen the role of trade unions and employers’ organizations,” the minister was quoted as saying in a ministry statement.
According to the draft law, the provisions of Directive 2022/2041 on adequate minimum wages in the European Union will be extended to all categories of workers regardless of the nature of their employment relationship. It also stipulates that the government must adopt an action plan to increase workers’ access to collective wage negotiations and protection under collective labor agreements.
Violations of the provisions ensuring the payment of the national gross minimum wage or the minimum wage stipulated in the collective labor agreement are subject to fines ranging from 3,000 lei to 5,000 lei per employee. (06.21.2024)