Romania’s Ruling Coalition Meets For Talks On Maternity Leave Propositions

Leaders of Romania's ruling coalition Thursday convened at the Government for debates on additional maternity leave propositions, after Labor Minister Ioan Botis suggested that maternity leave should be reduced from two years to one year.

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Romania's ruling Democratic Liberal Party on Monday decided to uphold the proposition submitted by Botis, whereby the maternity leave should be reduced to one year and child-rearing benefits should return to 85% of the parent's average net income for the previous year, namely, the level in June 2010, before a 15% cut imposed by the Government. Botis said mothers should receive 85% of their average net income, for a one-year period, and be stimulated to return to work with an indemnity of RON500 until the child turns two.

Laszlo Borbely, the executive vice-president of the Hungarian minority party UDMR, part of Romania's ruling coalition, said Tuesday the party disagrees with reducing the maternity leave to one year, adding it would ask the coalition Thursday to find other solutions.

Democrat Liberal Party Women's Organization president Sulfina Barbu also said she rejects the proposition made by the minister.

Later Tuesday, Botis presented ruling democrat liberal lawmakers with three alternative measures to his previous proposition regarding maternity leave, according to people close to the matter.

According to the sources, one of the propositions made by Botis sets maternity leave at 12 months and child-rearing benefits at 85% of the parent's salary. The child-rearing allowance will range between 600 lei (EUR1=RON 4.2842) and RON3,400. Also, mothers who return to work after seven months will be granted a RON500 bonus.

The second and the third alternative propositions state that mothers will be granted child-rear benefits for 24 months, but the benefit will be capped at RON1,000 or RON1,500. The bonus offered to mothers who return to work earlier was set at RON100 per month.

Prime Minister Emil Boc said on September 20 that the Government plans to reconsider the child-rearing allowance, to make this type of social benefit less "generous."

On June 25, the Constitutional Court authorized a 15% cut on child-rearing benefits, on the condition that the allowance amount to at least RON600. Before this reduction, the value was equal to 85% of the year's average net salary for which contributions to the social security budget are paid.

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