Legislative developments in the labour code and work relations sectors

A draft bill that seeks to refine the recognition of „special working conditions” within the Pensions Law by strictly limiting this classification to the time actually spent performing hazardous or specialized tasks was registered with the Chamber of Deputies after being adopted by the Senate. Under this proposal, secondary activities such as professional training, equipment maintenance, or preparation periods would be excluded from the „special conditions” calculation, and only documented hours of actual exposure or labor under special conditions will be recognized for pension benefits. Furthermore, the proposal clarifies that for the period before April 1, 2001, employees who performed their activities within the normal monthly working hours will have that time assimilated into the contribution period for special working conditions.  

The draft bill should receive a report from the referred committee, where some provisions might be changed, and then be included on the plenary’s agenda to be debated at a later date. 

Companies in hazardous sectors will face a more rigorous and granular compliance environment, as the transition from role-based to task-based accounting requires precise tracking of time spent specifically on high-risk labor. While the initiative provides clarity by assimilating pre-2001 work periods into the modern contribution framework, it places a higher administrative burden on HR departments to exclude non-hazardous activities—such as training, maintenance, or preparation—from special condition calculations. This reclassification may lead to longer career spans for certain employees, yet the overall business environment will gain predictability through standardized evidence requirements, reducing the legal risks associated with contested pension seniority and historical record audits. 

Maintain proactive oversight of the legislative progress and upcoming secondary regulations to anticipate the transition toward granular time-tracking and historical record audits, ensuring the organization is prepared to align internal documentation with new evidence standards for "actually worked" time under special conditions.

A draft bill could significantly bolster legal protections against workplace violence and harassment by expanding definitions to encompass all professional contexts—including business travel, employer-provided spaces, and electronic communications—while mandating that employers proactively identify, assess, and mitigate these risks. Under the new framework, organizations are legally required to implement robust measures to combat abuse and protect whistleblowers, all while remaining subject to strict Labor Inspection oversight. Failure to comply with these preventive and protective obligations carries substantial financial penalties, ranging from RON 30,000 to 50,000. 

After being adopted by the Senate, the initiative will be debated by the Chamber of Deputies, which is the decision-making chamber. 

Companies across all sectors will face a more rigorous and granular compliance environment, as the transition from general safety policies to specific anti-harassment frameworks requires precise identification and prevention of psychological, physical, and digital risks. While the initiative provides clarity by extending protections to modern work contexts—such as teleworking, electronic communications, and employer-provided transit—it places a higher administrative and financial burden on HR and Legal departments to implement robust reporting mechanisms and victim protection protocols. This legislative shift may lead to increased oversight and higher operational costs due to the substantial fines for non-compliance; however, the overall business environment will gain predictability through standardized conduct requirements, reducing the legal risks associated with workplace litigation and reputational damage from unaddressed abuse. 

Maintain proactive oversight of the legislative process and anticipated secondary regulations, noting that the provisions are expected to apply 60 days after publication, review and update workplace violence and harassment policies, integrate psychosocial risks into occupational risk assessments, ensure the availability of confidential reporting and investigation procedures aligned with whistleblower-protection requirements, and update training programs.

The Government aims to introduce targeted exceptions to the rule on the non-payment of the first day of medical leave and to ensure proportional treatment of insured persons. Where multiple consecutive medical certificates are issued for the same illness episode, the reduction in the allowance would apply only once, regardless of the number of certificates. In addition, the reduction would not apply to specific protected categories of medical leave, namely maternity risk leave, maternity leave, medical leave granted to patients included in national health programs, and medical leave granted during hospitalization (continuous or day hospitalization). The objective is to eliminate inconsistent interpretations, avoid repeated financial penalties for a single medical condition, and protect vulnerable categories. 

The draft ordinance could soon be adopted by the Government, and will begin to take effect after being published in the Official Gazette. 

Employers would benefit from clearer rules for calculating medical leave allowances, reducing the risk of disputes with employees and social insurance authorities. Payroll and HR processes would need limited adjustments to ensure that reductions are applied only once per illness episode and excluded for the specified categories, but the overall administrative burden may decrease due to greater predictability and fewer recalculations or corrections. Clear exemptions would also help employers maintain consistent practices across departments and minimize compliance risks. 

Maintain proactive oversight of legislative progress and upcoming secondary regulations, review internal payroll procedures and HR policies, update allowance calculation workflows to reflect the single-reduction rule and exemptions, train responsible staff, and monitor the legislative process to implement any final methodological norms promptly.

A legislative initiative proposes to introduce the value of the minimum consumer basket for a decent living as a formal reference indicator in establishing the national gross minimum wage. The objective is to align minimum wage policy with the real cost of living and ensure that wage-setting decisions reflect the purchasing power required for a decent standard of living. The proposal builds on the existing legal framework, which already requires consideration of living costs and purchasing power when setting the minimum wage, but where no operational reference has been consistently applied in practice. By explicitly linking the minimum wage to the consumer basket benchmark, the initiative seeks to strengthen transparency and predictability in wage-setting and support the adequacy of minimum income levels. Romanian legislation already recognizes the living wage concept and cost-of-living criteria, but their practical use has been limited or unclear. 

The legislative proposal was recently registered and must be debated and adopted in the Parliament before the provisions are implemented. 

For employers, the introduction of a consumer-basket-based reference could lead to more systematic and potentially higher adjustments of the statutory minimum wage, depending on inflation and living-cost dynamics. This may increase payroll costs, particularly in sectors with a high share of minimum-wage employees, and could influence pricing, hiring plans, and collective bargaining strategies. At the same time, a clearer and more predictable reference mechanism would improve planning and budgeting by reducing uncertainty around minimum-wage updates, which are currently determined through a mix of economic indicators and policy decisions. 

Employers should monitor the legislative process and assess exposure to minimum-wage adjustments against workforce structure, model potential cost scenarios linked to consumer-basket evolution, and integrate these projections into medium-term salary and pricing strategies.