Public sector pay law project a ticking time bomb: Public Ministry denounces 'profoundly discriminatory situations'

Romania's Public Ministry has issued a strong warning to the Ministry of Justice, deeming the draft law on public sector salaries a "ticking time bomb" that could undermine judicial independence.

The Public Ministry, comprising all prosecutor's offices in Romania, stated in a document that the draft law's provisions are likely to cause serious harm to the status of magistrates. It specifically points to the potential impact on financial guarantees, which are considered an essential component of judicial independence.

The ministry criticizes the draft for diminishing salary rights for personnel who will be hired after the law takes effect. More critically, it affects the income predictability for current prosecutors and other legal professionals at prosecutor's offices. The Public Ministry warns that this could create "profoundly discriminatory situations" that cannot be corrected later, potentially nullifying the mandatory force of court decisions.

According to the Public Ministry's statement, certain professional categories working within prosecutor's offices could face significant salary reductions without objective justification. The draft law's method for calculating salaries, based on a reference value and salary coefficients, lacks guarantees against arbitrariness and compromises income predictability. The ministry also noted that the proposed transitional salary difference measure would lead to professional discrimination, as new hires or those promoted under the new law would not receive this difference, contrary to established legal principles.

“

În documentul transmis se evidențiază că proiectul conține dispoziții care, pe lângă faptul că diminuează drepturile salariale ale personalului care va fi încadrat după intrarea în vigoare a legii, afectează și predictibilitatea veniturilor procurorilor în funcție și ale celorlalți profesioniști de la nivelul parchetelor, creând, totodată, situații profund discriminatorii, care nu vor mai putea fi corectate, forța obligatorie a hotărârilor judecătorești urmând a fi anihilată.