About 35 pc of state and private employees earn minimum wage

Minister Delegate for Social Dialogue Liviu Pop said on Friday that by next month could be released the new unified wage bill, so that each state employee can follow what happens to his salary for the next two years.

The Minister draw the attention on the minimum wage increases since 2012 to present, as from next summer half of state employees will, in fact, earn the minimum wage, so that certain changes of the law are needed.

“By increasing the minimum wage in the last three years, as we have told out electorate in 2012, it went into an area where, this year, about 35 percent of employees in Romania – public, private – will earn the minimum wage. This is a warning for everyone. This year we will have a minimum wage increase on July 1, followed by another one next year as of January 1 and from July 1 we will make it RON 1,200. But we cannot stand put, as from July we will have more than half of state employees earning the minimum wage, if we do not come with a distinct change in this area,” said Minister Liviu Pop.

He said that the bill is currently being discussed by three ministries – Labour, Finance and Development – and will soon be released for public debate.