The law on the unitary salary system in the budgetary sector discriminates against the medium categories of functionaries because it annuls the possibility of obtaining bonuses and supplements to the salary. The functionaries will be unable to essentially increase their remuneration depending on performance, executive director of the Congress of Local Public Authorities of Moldova (CALM) Viorel Furdui stated for IPN.
According to the official, as a concept the given law is a step forward, but the particularities of the local public administration weren’t taken into account. For the managers of the public administration and for the low ranks, the law improves the situation or at least keeps it. But the medium categories of functionaries, such as secretaries, accountants and other functionaries of the mayor’s office, are discriminated. “This law does not bring improvements for this category, which is one of the main categories of the local public administration on which the LPA is practically based. Not only those from the local level, but also those from the central level are affected,” said Viorel Furdui.
He also said that practically the whole local public administration, in the flexible part of the remuneration, was equalized with the central authorities. “The limitation of their bonuses to 20% of the main salary is not reasonable and is against the constitutional principles of the local self-government. The LPA benefits from special organizational, budgetary an financial autonomy, has own revenues and has the right to an own staff policy. By this law they limit the rights of the LPA,” stated Viorel Furdui, noting such shortcomings are due to the fact that representatives of the local public authorities weren’t involved in the formulation of the law.
The official said that if the given salary system is implemented, the local public authorities risk remaining without the most important chain of the local public administration. “An increasing number of people decide to leave the LPA. These are experienced, highly-qualified persons. The law does not stimulate them to remain even if this was one of the goals announced when the bill started to be drafted,” stated the CALM executive director.
The unitary salary system was adopted on November 23 this year. The unitary character is applied to all the categories of budget-funded employees. There was instituted a pay system with classes and coefficients.
