Romania strengthens social protection for workers in strategically important companies

The government of Romania amended legislation to increase the protection for workers in companies defined as strategically important, which may come under insolvency or pre-insolvency procedures.

Over 5,000 employees from shipyard Damen Mangalia, steel mill Liberty Galaţi, and airspace company Romaero Bucharest will benefit from extended salary protection if their employers enter insolvency or the preventive composition procedure, the Ministry of Labour, Family, Youth and Social Solidarity announced, as reported by Economedia.ro.

Until now, only workers in companies under insolvency procedures have benefited from protection, in the amount of up to 5 average gross salaries.

The new normative act provides for the definition of the notion of an economic operator of strategic interest as the operator whose activity is essential for national defence, economic, energy, food, or social security of the state, or for the functioning of critical infrastructures and industrial defence capacities of the state.

The normative act extends the scope of application of Law No. 200/2006 to employers against whom the preventive composition procedure has been opened and establishes increased ceilings for guaranteed wage claims for economic operators of strategic interest, namely: up to 12 average gross salaries per economy for each employee, in the case of insolvency, and up to 6 average gross salaries per economy for each employee, in the case of preventive composition.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos.Daniel Stoenciu)