Gov't approves emergency ordinance cutting occupational hazard bonus

The government adopted on Monday the draft Emergency Ordinance on specific measures regarding the public sector personnel, with Minister of European Investments and Projects Dragos Pislaru confirming the approval in a press conference that followed the government meeting.Two ordinances were on the agenda, specifically the draft emergency ordinance on specific measures regarding the public sector personnel, and the draft emergency ordinance amending certain regulations regarding the activity of the National Tax Administration Agency.The Emergency Ordinance on specific measures regarding the public sector personnel was considered in a first reading in the government meeting last Friday.On Monday, the employers' associations gave a favorable opinion to the regulatory blueprint, the unions issued a negative opinion, and the representatives of the civil society expressed in its favor with certain observations, the president of the Economic and Social Council Stelica Fudulea said.   "There was the CES meeting in which this point of view was discussed, regarding the draft Government Emergency Ordinance for establishing measures regarding personnel paid from public funds. The document was approved by voting with points of view. That's what it's called. In this case, the representatives of the employer side voted for the favorable approval, the representatives of the union side voted with an unfavorable approval and the representatives of civil society voted favorably, with observations. The documents with "unfavorable" and "favorable with observations" are in our opinion which are already, I think, on the CES website,"said Fudulea.He added that the next steps mean the Government meeting in which it will be determined what to do next."The law says this: the fact that 3/4 of the members of the plenum failed to agree on a type of opinion, then we moved to a split vote and each party had its point of view," the CES president mentioned.According to the ordinance put up in the decisional transparency procedure on the website of the Ministry of Labor, Family, Youth and Social Solidarity, the bonus for dangerous or harmful occupational conditions could be set at a maximum of RON 300 gross per month for all categories of workers paid from public funds.The ordinance also stipulates that, starting with its entry into force, employees in public administration, public corporations with special activity and state-owned units, who perform heavy-duty, dangerous or harmful work, or work under such conditions as regulated by Law No. 31/1991 are entitled to an extra leave of one to three workdays a year.