Labor

Following up on Monday's announcement by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias reiterated Tuesday that the vaccination of all staff at private and public nursing homes and units for the disabled is mandatory and that all must get at least the first dose of the vaccine by August 16.

Minister of Labor and Social Protection Raluca Turcan says that there is a "time bomb" ticking in the Romanian pension system, which is currently running a deficit of 16.7 billion lei, and that there is the risk that the purchasing power of the average pension will very much erode in the future. "There is a serious amount of disinformation circulating in the public space (...).

Minister of Labor Raluca Turcan declared on Tuesday that the increase of the retirement age has not been discussed and "it is absurd" to circulate the idea of 'the increase of the 15-year minimum contribution period, mentioning that she rejects any speculations in this sense, and "the amateurism of some politicians, who either use working documents or follow the old technique of disinformation.

The chairman of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), Marcel Ciolacu, estimates that the income of public workers will be slashed by 25% and that a decision in this sense could be taken during a government sitting, scheduled for Wednesday. "Ms. Turcan (Minister of Labor, Raluca Turcan) made these slashes in 2010 as well, when she was a PDL (Liberal Democratic Party, ed. n.) member.

Labor Minister Kostis Hatzidakis on Friday announced a new package of measures to support enterprises and workers and help them deal with problems caused by the pandemic.

Labor Minister Kostis Hatzidakis has announced that all those awaiting the issue their pension will receive a temporary one that will range from 345 to 384 euros a month, depending on their years of service.

It will also be paid out retroactively - concerning the entire period since the submission of their application.

Labor Minister Kostis Hatzidakis has appointed Michalis Kefalogiannis to sort out the Single Social Security Entity (EFKA), where problems appear to be out of control.

The "Unirea" National Federation of Romanian Pensioners (FNUPR) calls out Labor Minister Raluca Turcan over the gap between the planned pension pegging to inflation (2 - 3 percent) and the rapid surge of food, medicines and utility prices by 10 - 20 percent, which will bring pensioners below the poverty line.

The cabinet reshuffle, speculated about for over a month and finally announced on Monday was not radical but there was a subtle movement, especially at the deputy minister level, away from unelected technocrats toward New Democracy MPs.

Some 1,985,000 workers in the private sector will see salary increases early in 2021, as a result of the reduction of social insurance contributions that takes effect this Friday, January 1, Labor Minister Yiannis Vroutsis told Alpha Radio on Monday.

Moreover, several positive changes in the country's social insurance system are also in the pipeline, he added.