Health Ministry reaches union deal

Romania's Ministry of Health and healthcare trade unions have jointly drafted a proposal Monday for a new law governing salaries and remuneration in the public healthcare system, Agerpres and Digi24 reported. The prepared legislation has been submitted to the Ministry of Labour for consideration.

The move follows a nationwide strike by thousands of doctors and nurses from more than 500 public hospitals last week, who demanded higher pay. For three days, hospitals provided only emergency care as healthcare workers protested against the government's draft legislation on public-sector wages. The strike was suspended on Friday.

"The version of the salary law we have agreed upon represents the minimum acceptable framework. We support only its full and faithful implementation. We are not signing a blank cheque," the unions said in a statement published online. They warned that any departure from the agreed provisions could trigger a new wave of industrial action.

The proposal reverses the government's initial plan to eliminate or sharply reduce dozens of sector-specific allowances and bonuses from 2027. It revises salary scales across professional categories to better reflect the responsibilities, qualifications and contribution of healthcare and allied health professionals.

It also raises base pay coefficients for several occupations facing acute staff shortages and incorporates some permanent allowances into basic salaries, a move aimed at improving income stability and predictability.

The joint proposal further calls for full recognition and compensation of work performed during night shifts, on-call duty, weekends and public holidays. The government's earlier proposal to cut on-call payments was unequivocally rejected. It also introduces a more differentiated pay structure based on the level of occupational risk and the complexity of working conditions across medical specialties and hospital departments, according to the reports.

Photo: Chat GPT