Last updated: 3 October 2023
The Government approved the increase of the basic gross minimum salary at the country level, which, starting with October 1st, 2023, goes from 3,000 to 3,300 lei (about € 663) per month.
The Government Decision No. 900/28.09.2023 was published in the Official Journal No. 877 of September 28 and, according to the executive, the measure adopted aims to reduce the number of employees exposed to the risk of poverty and social exclusion.
Due to this increase in the basic gross minimum salary, the net salary goes from 1,898 lei to 2,079 lei (about € 417). The hourly wage will now be of 19.960 lei, for a normal working time of 165.333 hours/month.
The newly adopted measure does not apply to employees in agriculture and the food industry, who remain subject to the current regulations (art. III of Law No. 135/2022). The gross minimum wage in the construction sector amounts to 4,000 lei (about € 804).
The gross minimum basic salary at the national level is defined as the lowest gross basic salary that can be granted to an employee hired under an individual employment contract, for a full-time working program. Providing a basic salary at an amount lower than that provided for in the above-mentioned Decision accounts for contravention punishable by a fine ranging from 300 to 2,000 lei.
Furthermore, according to art. 164 of the Labor Code as amended by the Government Emergency Ordinance No. 142/2021, since January 1, 2022, the gross minimum salary can be granted to an employee (hired after January 1, 2022) for a period of maximum 24 months from the conclusion of the employment contract. At the end of this period, the employer is bound to increase the gross basic salary, without the law providing for a mandatory minimum amount therefor.
Consequently, the salary of employees currently working full-time for an amount lower than that provided for in the above-mentioned Decision must be increased to 3,300 lei gross, from October 1, 2023. As this is modification imposed by law, in accordance with article 17 paragraph 5 of the Labor Code, the salary increase does not require the conclusion of an addendum to the employment contract.