Work and Wages
Minimum Wage
Workers can’t be paid less than the minimum wage, which is the lowest remuneration that an employer should pay to an employee. If the normal work schedule is below 8 hours a day, the minimum gross hourly basic pay for a worker is computed by dividing the national minimum gross basic pay by the average number of monthly hours under the approved legal work schedule.
The minimum wage is set through a government decision, based on a proposal from the Ministry of Labour and Social Solidarity. This process includes consultation with the National Tripartite Council for Social Dialogue to ensure input from both union and employer representatives. Wages of an employee can also be set through a collective agreement or an employment contract, provided that these are not less than the minimum wage.
Since the 2024 reform, the Labour Code expressly links the annual update mechanism to an adequacy assessment. That assessment must consider purchasing power and the cost of living, general wage levels and their distribution, wage growth, productivity trends and national statistical indicators. The procedure approved by Government Decision No. 35/2025 uses, as a reference indicator, a range of 47% to 52% of the average gross wage.
If the minimum wage of a worker is not determined through a collective bargaining agreement, the employer can’t pay a worker below the national minimum gross hourly basic pay. For the employees to whom the employer, according to the collective work agreement or individual work contract, provides food, accommodation or other facilities, the amount in money due for the activity performed may not be lower than the national minimum gross wage provided for in the law.
According to Art. Two hundred fifty-four of the Labour Code of Romania, specialised supervisory bodies of the Ministry of Labour and Social Solidarity, if necessary, under the authorisation of the respective Minister, ensure that minimum wage regulations are applied through the imposition of fines and other penalties. Setting a salary below these levels by means of an individual labour contract will be considered an offence and sanctioned with a fine. Labour inspectors have the main role in dealing with complaints about wages. Law No. 283/2024 (in force since 17 November 2024) implemented EU Directive 2022/2041 on adequate minimum wages by introducing clearer concepts and rules for setting and updating the minimum wage. It requires the Government to establish a formal procedure and indicators for regular annual minimum-wage updates and to adopt an action plan, with timelines, to promote collective bargaining coverage toward the 80% benchmark. The law also confirms the rule that a worker may be paid the statutory minimum basic wage for a maximum of 24 months from hiring; after that period, the wage must be set above the minimum. Employers who repeatedly pay wages below the statutory minimum or the levels set by applicable collective labour agreements now face criminal charges. Specifically, non-compliance can result in a fine of 3,000 to 5,000 lei per affected employee, with the total fine capped at 200,000 lei.
Source: §164-165 & 260 of Labour Code No. 53/2003);4, 9 & 10 of the Law No. 283/2024; Government Decision No. 1506/2024 (for establishing the minimum gross basic salary per country guaranteed in payment); Government Decision No. 35/2025 (on the approval of the procedure for applying the mechanism for establishing and updating the minimum gross basic salary per country guaranteed in payment)
Regular Pay
Law No. 283/2024 defines the term "salary" as the basic salary, allowances, bonuses and other additions. The “basic salary” is the fixed component of gross remuneration for work performed in a calendar month and does not include allowances, bonuses or other additions.
The Labour Code allows employers to pay wages in kind except in the case of minimum wages. The in-kind payment of part of wages may only be possible if it has been expressly provided for in the applicable collective work agreement or in the individual work contract.
The maximum wage period in Romania is one month, and employers are required to pay wages to their workers on a pre-determined date as agreed in the collective agreement, individual employment contract or rules of procedure. Wages have to be paid in monetary form and may be paid by transfer into a bank account. The unjustified delay in paying the wage or its non-payment by the employer may entail the payment of damages in order to cover the prejudice of the employee. The wage are paid directly to the employee or to the person appointed by him/her. In case of employee’s death, the wage rights due until the date of death are paid, in order, to the surviving spouse, the adult children of the deceased or his/her parents. If there are no such categories of persons, the wage rights are paid to other heirs, under the terms of the ordinary law.
For work relationships governed by special laws and not based on an individual employment contract, the employer must still ensure remuneration at least equal to the statutory hourly minimum basic salary or the minimum level fixed by the applicable collective agreement.
An employee can receive only the national minimum gross basic salary for a maximum of 24 months from the date the individual employment contract is concluded. After that period, the employee must receive a basic salary above the statutory minimum.
Salary deductions are strictly regulated to protect employees. No deductions may be made from an employee’s salary unless explicitly permitted by law. If an employer seeks to recover damages caused by an employee, such deductions can only be made if the debt is due, liquid, and payable, and has been confirmed by a final and irrevocable court decision. In cases where an employee has multiple creditors, deductions must follow a specific order: first, maintenance obligations under the Family Code; second, taxes and contributions owed to the state; third, damages caused to public property through unlawful acts; and finally, other debts. Importantly, the total amount of salary deductions in any given month cannot exceed 50% of the employee’s net salary.
According to art. Article 277 of the Labour Code of Romania states that the failure to enforce a final judgment regarding the payment of wages within 15 days from the date of the enforcement request submitted to the employer by the interested party shall be a criminal offence and shall be punished with a prison term of 3 to 6 months or a fine.
Source: §160, 161, 162, 165, 166, 169 & 261 of Labour Code No. 53/2003; 3 & 14 of the Law No. 283/2024
Regulations on Work and Wages
- Codul Muncii Nr 53/2003, impus in 2017 de Legea Nr. 53/2017 / Labour Code No. 53/2003 amended in 2017 by Law No. 53/2017
