Senate Approves New Pension Bill
The Romanian Senate approved on Monday a pensions bill adopted by the Government in October, following two previous failed votes due to a lack of quorum.
The Senate approved the bill with 81 votes for and 12 against, as a first chamber, thus sending it to the country’s Lower Chamber. The initiative was passed with all of the amendments added by the chamber’s Labor Committee two weeks ago.
The Romanian Government adopted the new bill on October 10. The bill includes a new calculation method for pensions, which Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said that would gradually increase the value of pension points.
The bill rises the value of the pension point up to RON1,265 in 2019, RON1,775 in 2020 and RON1,875 in 2021.
“This bill is complex, it is based on solid principles, which can be sustained by the budget and for which we consulted with both patronages and unions,” Romanian Prime Minister said at the time.
The bill also included amendments brought following negotiations with unions, through which the reference value point – a new value introduced in the calculation formula by the bill – would rise according to both inflation and the gross median income registered in the country.
It also grants an earlier retirement age for individuals working in abnormal conditions.
“No pension will be lowered following the recalculation. The standard age of retirement will remain the same, as will the contribution service,” Labor Minister Lia Olguta Vasilescu stated following the cabinet meeting which passed the bill.
On November 14, the Senate’s Labor Committee passed a number of minor amendments to the bill, including raising the period of assimilated labor contributions to a maximum of seven years, in the cases where parents take work leaves to raise children with disabilities.
The bill was launched into public debate by the Labor Ministry in August. (puterea.ro)
Weather To Turn Extremely Cold, Freezing Temperatures Expected Across Romania
The weather will be getting cold at the end of November, which will bring the first snowfalls, according to meteorologists who expect temperatures below 30 degrees Celsius and heavy snowstorms.
In December, precipitations will prevail in the central, eastern and south-eastern parts of the country, and snowfalls are expected in the northern and central parts, as well as in the mountains. Until the end of December, temperatures will fall way below the climatological average for the month of December.
January will also see snowfalls in northern and central parts of the country, as well as blizzard, with minimum temperatures reaching -20 and -30 degrees Celsius.
Minimum temperatures in the mountains will reach -12 degrees Celsius next week, and on Christmas Eve, there will be heavy snowfalls and blizzard. (evz.ro)
Romania To Raise Minimum Wage On January 1, 2019
Romania will raise the minimum wage as of January 1, 2019.
Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici said the increase will probably be differentiated, namely, it will depend on workplace seniority and higher education.
Prime Minister Viorica Dancila recently said the country’s minimum wage will not increase starting with November, as was proposed by the Prognosis Commission, but that the rise could happen in December 2018 or January 2019.
The Labor Ministry proposed raising the national gross minimum wage to RON2,080/month, with a special rate of RON2,350/month for jobs which require higher education or for employees with more than 15 years of work experience. (evz.ro)