Labour Minister Florin Manole said on Saturday that talks on the pay law must resume early next year, once missing data on salaries at credit-ordering authorities are gathered. On any raise for dignitaries’ pay, he said rebuilding the grids and bringing equity to the system means increases across the board, Digi24 / News.ro report.

On Antena 3 CNN, Manole noted some posts where pay “got ahead” and said it would be hypocritical to tell people otherwise. He recalled that for nearly eight to ten years wages and pensions in Romania have risen, while dignitaries’ salaries — ministers, state secretaries, and mayors from small and large localities — have lagged, with knock-on effects for local administration.

He tied any dignitary raises to the economic outlook: if next year were “disastrous,” a labour minister could not push increases; if the economy recovers, the gains should reach as many citizens as possible. Dignitaries are not and will not be the priority, he stressed.

His near-term focus is the pension increase from 1 January. If major social files fail, he said, no one will have the face to seek raises for mayors or the prime minister.

Manole also said a discussion on the minimum wage will take place in November. In theory a rise is possible, but the governing programme speaks of indexation within a 12-month horizon.

Image: Victoria Palace, Government headquarters (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Sources consulted: Florin Manole on raising dignitaries’ salaries - Digi24.