Govt. plans to change Labor Code in fall: more flexible work contracts, easier part-time employment

The Romanian Labor Code will be modified this fall to allow a simpler partnership between employer and employees, said Economy Minister Adriean Videanu. “We will have a pleasant surprise in fall. They are working on it,” said Videanu who attended a seminar about energy investments. The introduction of more flexible work contracts, including collective work contracts is one of the consequences of the discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The changes should also bring easier ways to employ part-time staff. Business associations and the employers' associations in Romania have been lobbying for a loosening of work contracts and for the possibility to hire part-time employees more easily, given the current financial restrains. Only 8.5 percent of Romanians currently work part-time – while in other countries the ratio is much higher – in Holland, for example, it is of 48 percent.