Moldova's SHS employees react to 2025 budget law salary increases
The salary increases outlined in the 2025 Budget Law have sparked discontent among employees of the State Hydrometeorological Service (SHS), who had previously joined protests led by teachers demanding higher wages.
At that time, they demanded a 14% salary increase, but Parliament opted for a phased approach: 5% starting January 1st and an additional 9% beginning in May.
As the department head, my current salary is 10,000 lei, and a 5% increase adds 400 lei. For an engineer earning 6,000 lei, the increase is 200-300 lei. This 5% increase does nothing for us, says Dinu Prepeliță.
Despite the changes, we are still dissatisfied because there are families here whose minimum wage is insufficient. As a young specialist, I have no desire to continue working in this field with such a low salary.
Employee dissatisfaction is exacerbated by higher salary increases given to other entities under the Ministry of Environment. "At least raise our reference value to 2,500 lei, as they did for the Ministry of Environment and its other subordinate institutions," says meteorologist Aurelia Bodrug.
"The other three institutions are even worse off, as they will not receive the 2,500 lei starting May 1st. Only the Hydrometeorological Service will benefit from it," explains Veronica Briceag, a Member of Parliament.
The SHS employs 261 people, the largest workforce among the institutions under the Ministry of Environment. This is why the reference value was raised only by 100 lei, from 2,100 to 2,200 lei.
"They couldn't be placed alongside the other three institutions because they have far fewer employees, and their budgetary impact is lower. There are seven institutions under the Ministry of Environment. Three of them received the 2,500 lei increase, but four others, including the SHS, did not," says Ala Mihailiuc, head of the SHS Management Department.
It is worth mentioning that on Thursday, lawmakers passed the 2025 Budget Law in its third reading. The law provides for a 5% salary increase for SHS employees starting January 1, 2025, with an additional 9% increase starting May 1, 2025.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
