The unions are asking the authorities to increase the minimum salary to 50-60% of the average salary in Moldova. This is one of the demands laid out in a statement submitted to the Parliament, Government and the National Confederation of Employers’ Organizations, on the occasion of the International Workers’ Day celebrated on May 1.
The unions also hope to see a continuation of salary raises and avoidance of salary arrears, as well as subsidies to the population to compensate for the increase in consumer prices and rates.
Another demand is the recognition of COVID-19 as an occupational disease. According to CNSM, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be an unprecedented challenge for labor. During the pandemic period, workers have been exposed to “extreme health risks” and had to adapt to new forms of work. At the same time, employees in Moldova have been affected by the horrors caused by the war in Ukraine, which amplifies the uncertainty about the future.
The unions also call for speeding up the implementation of the Electronic Register of Employees and improving the Law on the Public Pension System, including the mechanism for calculating and establishing the long-career early retirement pension.
In their statement, the unions have lamented the low Moldovan salaries that “can’t secure a decent living”, “poor working conditions”, and the “excessive liberalization” of labor relationsa.