Romania Govt Hikes Education Staff Wages With Funds From Budget For Q2, Q3, Q4

Gherghina reminded that the 2010 budget includes salary rights based on the 17% pay raise applied as of 2008, and not the difference of 33% abolished by the government, but upheld by court rulings.

Gherghina explained that some teachers have won in court salary raises of 50%, including the difference of 33% abolished by the government, and were paid accordingly, which, however, has triggered a decrease in the salary fund for other schools.

Given the circumstances, the government will transfer amounts from the budget earmarked for the second, third and fourth quarters in order to increase the salary fund corresponding to the first quarter so that all teachers can benefit from the law-regulated 17% salary raise, and it will further draft a normative act meant to regulate the difference of 33% won in court by some teachers.

„There are teachers who have benefited from an additional 33% salary raise in the first quarter, therefore, the funds earmarked for the first quarter for other teachers have been depleted and they couldn’t even benefit from the 17% salary raise. Thus, funds from the second, third and fourth quarters will be transferred in order to increase the budget for the first quarter and entirely pay salary rights for the first quarter. A normative act, an emergency decree or a law will be drafted to regulate the situation of the 33% additional salary raise,” said Gherghina.

Asked whether teachers who have also benefited from the 33% pay raise won in court will have to return the money, Gherghina stressed the issue will be regulated based on the normative act to be debated with social partners on Tuesday.

Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc said Saturday that the government approached unions with a draft emergency ordinance through which the salary system in the public sector would be applied in a unitary fashion for all staff categories, within a salary mass maintained at the 2009 level.

Boc also stressed Saturday that salary discrepancies are determined by court rulings, which grant a salary increase of 50% to staff in education, even though the government has accepted for teachers, in 2008, a 17% increase in pay, and has abolished the 33% difference in the documents.

Boc explained the Government needs to intervene in order to make sure the unitary wage law is applied in a unitary fashion for all categories in the public sector.