Social Democratic Party (PSD) interim chairman Sorin Grindeanu said in Resita on Thursday evening that employees in Romania must have decent wages, in line with European Union regulations, which have also issued a Directive to this effect.
When asked about the concerns expressed by the business community, which warned that an increase in the minimum wage could lead to the closure of several SMEs, Grindeanu pointed out that the matter should not be viewed solely from this perspective, since employees too must have decent wages.
'We must not exclude or speak only from one perspective, that of employers. We must also look at the other side. People in Romania should have decent wages, they should be paid according to their work, they should be paid in line with European Union rules. And as you well know, there is a Directive in the European Union that sets out matters related to the minimum wage,' said Sorin Grindeanu.
He added that a meeting of the Tripartite Committee had taken place at the Government, attended by representatives of employers' associations, trade unions and the Executive, but a conclusion to the discussions was postponed until November.
At the same time, Sorin Grindeanu mentioned that he is awaiting a report from the Minister of Finance on the budgetary impact of the measure, as well as information from European Commissioner Roxana Minzatu on what increasing or not increasing the minimum wage would entail.
'I am waiting (...) for the Minister of Finance to come with a report (...) and the Commissioner for Jobs, Ms Roxana Minzatu, must also send information on what it means not to raise the minimum wage. Whether or not we would enter infringement proceedings. We might enter infringement, since we have made certain commitments within the European Union. Germany increased its minimum wage this week. Germany, which - I don't know if it is on an economic upturn - I think has been in recession for two or three years. And I am waiting for the Minister of Finance to show whether there is, and what would be, the budgetary impact of such a measure. Only afterwards should we make a decision. (...) I believe we must look at matters from all perspectives; it is not enough to look from a single angle or in a single direction,' concluded the PSD leader.
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