At the opening of the Government meeting, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said that the minimum wage will be increased by 10%, from 3,000 lei to 3,300 gross lei per month. However, the ordinance regarding the increase of the minimum wage in construction, agriculture and the food industry was removed from the agenda, because, from the calculations presented this morning by the Minister of Finance, they would actually have decreased, following the introduction of the health insurance payment for all employees.
“The calculations presented this morning by the Minister of Finance show that, following the introduction of health insurance for all employees, regardless of activity, the minimum net salary of employees in construction, agriculture and the food industry could have decreased. I do not agree with this”, explained Ciolacu. “No net minimum wage must decrease! As a result, we decided to remove from the agenda this ordinance that targets these categories. The relevant ministries will reanalyze the text. Until then, all salaries in construction, agriculture and the food industry will remain the same”, he stated.
At a salary in construction and agriculture of 4,000 lei for which no health contributions are paid, the net salary is 3,150 lei. If the gross salary increases to 4,500 lei, but health contributions are paid, the net decreases to 3,094 lei. “Through this normative act, it is proposed that the gross minimum basic salary per country guaranteed in payment be increased to 3,300 lei per month starting from the date of entry into force of this government decision, which represents a 10% increase, compared to September 2023. In September 2023, the hourly rate is 18,145 lei/hour for a full work schedule of 165,333 hours per month, and from October 2023 the hourly rate will be 19,960 lei/hour for a full work schedule of 165,333 hours /month“, reads the substantiation report.
The gov’t is expected to issue a government decision today, once for increasing the (minimum) salary from 3,000 to 3,300 and another one for increasing the (minimum) salary in construction from 4,000 to 4,500, so that the payment of CASS will not affect any category. “They were exempt from paying CASS and will not be affected at all by the introduction of CASS”, the prime minister explained to Digi24.ro on Wednesday.
In the government meeting, the continuation of the pilot program for granting food support for preschoolers and students from 450 state pre-university education units will be approved, by emergency ordinance.
Also, the Government will approve, by decision, the initiation of the expropriation procedures of all privately owned buildings, the list of public property buildings of the state, as well as the list of public property buildings of the administrative-territorial units located on the site that constitutes the expropriation corridor of the work of public utility of national interest “Modernization of the railway infrastructure in the Port of Constanţa”: Stage 1 – Valu lui Traian and Stage 2, located within the administrative-territorial units: Agigea, Constanţa and Valu lui Traian – Constanţa county.