Public Sector Pay Reform: New Rules to Affect Health and Social Care Staff

The Romanian Government has officially presented the new unified pay legislation for the public sector, a major reform provided for under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). The reform will have a significant impact on staff working in senior care and the public health system.

Interim Labour Minister Dragoș Pîslaru announced that the new legislation introduces a unified pay framework for all public sector employees, eliminating the disparities and differential treatment that currently exist. The measure will directly affect staff at public care homes for the elderly, geriatric hospitals and social assistance centres.

One of the most significant changes involves capping salary supplements, which could affect the earnings of nurses, carers and other categories of staff working in elderly care. This measure aims to create a fair and transparent framework for all public sector employees.

The new pay scale will be applied in full from 1 January 2027, with no exceptions or derogations for specific professional categories. This unified approach will eliminate the special pay arrangements that have created inequities in the past between different sectors of the public administration.

For the senior care sector, the reform may bring greater predictability regarding staff remuneration, which could improve workforce stability in this critical field. At the same time, greater clarity around the pay system could facilitate the recruitment of qualified staff at public care homes for the elderly.

The draft legislation has been submitted for public consultation, giving all interested parties the opportunity to express their views before its final adoption. This public consultation is essential to ensuring a balanced implementation of the reform across all affected sectors.