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Salary Law Unlikely to Pass This Week, Says UDMR President
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ด Romania /Elections & Politics

Salary Law Unlikely to Pass This Week, Says UDMR President

From Adevฤƒrul · () Romanian

Translated from Romanian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Kelemen Hunor, president of UDMR, stated that the new salary law has "zero" chance of being adopted this week, and is unlikely next week.
  • He cited unclear funding sources for proposed salary increases, estimating the additional cost at over 12 billion lei, with 4 billion lei lacking clear coverage.
  • Hunor emphasized that UDMR will not accept a law that decreases income for any professional category, particularly in healthcare and education, and stressed the need for complete simulations before adoption.

Kelemen Hunor, president of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), expressed strong doubts about the imminent adoption of the new salary law, stating it has "zero" chance of passing this week and is unlikely to be approved next week either. He highlighted that negotiations are far from concluded and the funding sources for the proposed increases remain unclear.

There are 'zero' chances for the salary law to pass this week.

โ€” Kelemen HunorExpressing skepticism about the timeline for adopting the new salary law.

Hunor specifically pointed out the financial challenges, noting that initial discussions involved an increase of 8 billion lei to the salary envelope, but the current estimated need has surged to over 12 billion lei. "Nobody is saying where the additional four billion will come from," Hunor stated, emphasizing that the UDMR will not accept financing through reduced investments, tax hikes, or massive layoffs. "Four billion is an enormous amount of money when you don't have it," he added.

Nobody is saying where the additional four billion will come from.

โ€” Kelemen HunorHighlighting the lack of clear funding for the proposed salary increases.

The UDMR leader also raised concerns about outstanding payments owed to magistrates, which could add billions more lei to the budgetary pressure. "We cannot vote for a salary law for which there is no coverage for the 4 billion," Hunor stressed. He believes that dialogue must continue amidst protests in the healthcare sector and threats of a general strike, as the current draft is not acceptable to all professional groups.

Four billion is an enormous amount of money when you don't have it.

โ€” Kelemen HunorCommenting on the significant financial gap for the salary law.

Regarding the impact on teachers, Hunor insisted that the debate should focus on total income, not just base salaries. He argued that any reductions in bonuses or allowances must be compensated by increasing base pay to prevent income loss. The UDMR's core principle, he reiterated, is that "no income will decrease." Before the law is adopted, Hunor stressed the necessity of complete simulations for all professional categories, stating, "Simulations are needed for salaries in payment, for incomes in payment."

We cannot vote for a salary law for which there is no coverage for the 4 billion.

โ€” Kelemen HunorStating the UDMR's condition for approving the salary law.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Adevฤƒrul in Romanian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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