The government has approved a draft law on public sector pay. The authorities say the reform will help narrow pay gaps between employees in similar roles and address inequities in the system. Around 40% of the funds earmarked for pay increases will go to education, IPN reports.
Prime Minister Vasile Tofan said the reform is needed to address inequities that have built up within the system, where employees with similar responsibilities may receive different salaries. The problems identified include inadequately regulated pay supplements, disparities between the lowest and highest salaries, and low pay for certain categories of staff.
Finance Minister Victoria Belous said the new rules will affect approximately 172,000 employees, a third of whom work in education. Salaries are expected to rise by an average of 15.7%, with around 3.2 billion lei earmarked in the state budget to implement the reform.
The largest average pay increases are projected in national defence, at 20.6%, and for technical, support and manual staff, at around 19%. In public administration, increases will exceed 15%, while in law enforcement they are estimated at 15%. Salaries in healthcare and social services are expected to rise by 14.9%, and those in education, culture and sport by more than 14%.
The proposal provides for adjustments to base salaries and performance bonuses linked to the results of professional evaluations. Employees rated “excellent” will be eligible for bonuses of 10-15% of their base salary, while those rated “very good” will be eligible for 5-7%.
Temporary pay increases of up to 30% will also be available for hard-to-fill positions where public institutions struggle to recruit specialists. These increases will be determined based on the shortage of qualified candidates, uncompetitive salary levels, and the number of vacant positions.
The new law will be phased in starting on January 1, 2027. The mechanism for increasing salaries for hard-to-fill positions will take effect on January 1, 2028. The draft legislation also includes transitional measures to ensure that employees’ earnings do not fall as a result of the changes to the pay system.
