The Unified Salary Law in a straight line
The interim Labour Minister Dragoş Pîslaru has presented the new salary draft law
Leyla Cheamil, 26.05.2026, 14:00
1.2 million state employees in Romania will be affected by the unified salary law, whose draft was put up for public debates on Monday, after a political agreement had been reached upon it at the end of a long series of delays. The interim Labour Minister, Dragoş Pîslaru, says the political parties part of the former ruling coalition have agreed to endorse this reform in Parliament, which is also a benchmark in the PNRR, after having agreed over some basic elements, such as the protection of the incomes in the public sector, budgetary discipline and sustainability, integral and predictable enforcement. Under the aforementioned law, no employees will see pay cuts and the reform must observe the fiscal objectives assumed by Romania and enjoy long term support. The new law, which is to come into effect on January 2027, will be applied entirely and without exemptions for various professional categories.
The Minister has also mentioned the pillars of the reform and an equitable hierarchy of positions in the entire public sector, including in the public administration as well as a single structure of salary grades for the entire public sector. He has also referred to the bonus cap and transparency with the introduction of clear and verifiable performance criteria. Pîslaru has also mentioned the institutionalization of the salary system governance by means of the joint responsibility between the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Finance; fiscal sustainability and the observance of the assumed targets regarding the deficit and expenses with the personnel. The main purpose of the new law is not a generalized pay rise in the state sector, the Minister says, but the elimination of the system inequities, as people with the same jobs and responsibilities are presently getting different salaries.
Under the new law, the country’s president will have the highest salary in Romania, 32,800 de lei, which are roughly 6300 Euros. 56% of state employees will see pay rises whereas for 44% wages will remain the same. According to the interim Labour Minister, the new salary law provides for 12 salary grades with salary indexes from 1 to 8, with a reference value of roughly 790 de Euros. The law also provides for a cut by 87 of the number of bonuses, which should not exceed 20% of the institution’s salary fund. Amendments will be also brought to the performance bonus criteria, as these bonuses could be granted between 10 and 20% for up to 30% of the employees. Dragoş Pîslaru went on to say that the bonuses for those working with EU funds will stay at 40%, as it is at present, since it has been agreed upon with the European Commission. Parliament in Bucharest must approve the law by July 1st this year.
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