The five nationally representative trade union confederations reject the current version of the draft Pay Law and warn that the document presented as a profound reform of public-sector pay is, in reality, a new source of inequalities, discrimination and social tensions.

'Instead of correcting the imbalances accumulated in the system and building a coherent, predictable and fair pay system, the new version of the draft continues to rely on compromise solutions, favour certain categories and leave behind precisely those sectors that ensure the functioning of essential public services,' said a press release signed by the 'Cartel ALFA' National Trade Union Confederation, the 'Fratia' National Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Romania, the Confederation of Democratic Trade Unions of Romania (CSDR), the 'Meridian' National Trade Union Confederation and the National Trade Union Bloc (BNS).

According to the trade unions, one of the most serious problems is the reduction of the reference value from 4,100 to 4,000 lei. 'We requested that this be set at the level of the national minimum wage and updated annually in line with inflation and labour productivity. Instead, the very benchmark on which the entire system should be built has been reduced, while in numerous sectors the increases provided for do not cover the loss of purchasing power accumulated over the past two years. A pay law cannot shift the cost of austerity onto employees,' the document reads.

The trade unions also warn that capping bonuses at 20% of total wage expenditure, including by reference to the main authorising officer and the sources of funding, could cancel out salary rights recognised by law.

'We also reject the way the draft was drawn up. Social dialogue does not mean sending the document late and allowing a symbolical period for comments. A law affecting more than one million public-sector employees cannot be drawn up in haste and trade unions cannot validate within a few hours or days decisions with effects lasting for years and decades. Formal consultation is not social dialogue!,' the trade union representatives said.

The trade union confederations also believe that a dismissed government cannot decide the future of pay policy through negotiations conducted outside its mandate. 'It cannot be acceptable for a government in such a situation to establish, negotiate and commit Romania to a public policy affecting more than one million employees, without a full political mandate and without genuine social dialogue,' the five nationwide representative trade union confederations said.

For this reason, the trade unions believe that the current version of the Pay Law can no longer serve as the basis for a credible, fair reform accepted by the social partners. 'We call for the current draft to be withdrawn and the reform to be restarted from scratch,' the trade union representatives said. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Constantin Balaban; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)