First eight days of sick leave placed on employee’s and employer’s backs

The first day of the sick leave will be paid neither by the employer nor by the Social Fund. The employer will be obliged to pay the next 7 days of the employee’s sick leave, and the Social Fund will pay the rest of the days. These changes were operated, on Wednesday, 21 June, by the Government to the Law of July 2004 on allowances for temporary labor incapacity and other social insurance benefits. At the same time, the procedure of setting the amount of the allowance for temporary labor incapacity was changed. Now this allowance is paid differentiated, and the draft proposes to set a fix amount of 75% from the salary. A 100% quota will be offered to mothers on maternity leave, for cancer, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS patients. According to the information note of the governmental decision, singed by the state advisor in social development field, Iurie Bucinschi, it is mentioned that a modern mechanism of providing the allowance for temporary labor incapacity provides not only the obligation to pay it, but as well increasing the responsibility of the employer and insured person in order to reduce the number and the length of the absences from the workplace on sick leave. The Minister of Health and Social Protection, Ion Ababii, said that this draft has as goal the adjustment of the legislative acts to the European framework.