Vasile Tofan and Maia Sandu explain the delay in the salary increase scheduled for September 1
The salary increases promised to thousands of public sector employees are being postponed. Although the new Salary Law was set to take effect on September 1, the authorities have decided to suspend its implementation. The stated reason for this decision is the need to align the project with the new budgetary and fiscal reform recently introduced by the government.
Currently, the Executive has not specified the date when increased salaries will be credited to the accounts of public sector employees.
Prime Minister Vasile Tofan asserts that the budgetary-fiscal reform could expedite the adoption of the new Law on Salaries and assures that the Government will identify the necessary financial resources. However, he acknowledges that the September 1 deadline will not be met and refrains from providing a new timeline for adopting the document.
"We hope and count on this; I can even say that I am confident this will allow us to meet needs such as the Law on Salaries, which is very important. We need to raise the salaries of teachers, doctors, personnel in internal services, and others. The ambition was for it to take effect at the beginning of September. I want to be direct; we may be a little late, but we want it to be implemented as soon as possible," declared Prime Minister Vasile Tofan.
When asked about the postponement of the project, President Maia Sandu explained that the new fiscal reform and the new Law on Salaries are interconnected, which requires reassessment and synchronization of financial resources.
"The Law on Salaries cannot be approved until it is clear what the volume of resources collected in the budget from the fiscal policy is. Now that the Government has announced the latest version of the fiscal policy, estimates are being made, and I believe that the Law on Salaries will reach Parliament as soon as possible so that the delays are minimized," stated the head of state.
The increase in public sector salaries starting September 1 had been promised by the previous Munteanu Government during the presentation of the initial version of the fiscal reform and the Law on Salaries, both of which faced intense criticism from unions and experts.
This reform would benefit approximately 60,000 employees in education, 50,000 workers and technical personnel, 20,000 in local public administration, and 17,000 in public order, along with employees in health, culture, and sports.
