Update: Public sector employees launched a second day of protests on Tuesday, July 1, following the government’s approval of the emergency ordinance capping the hazardous work bonus, News.ro reported.

Large-scale protests are taking place in several cities across the country, with demonstrators warning of a complete shutdown of public services and the risk of delays in paying pensions and public sector salaries. Employees of Bucharest City Hall also staged a spontaneous protest in front of the institution, while workers from the Bucharest Court of Appeal protested outside their building before marching toward the Justice Ministry.

Initial story: The Romanian government has approved several changes affecting public sector employees, reducing the monthly bonus for working in harmful or dangerous conditions from RON 1,500 to RON 300, Biziday.ro reported. The decision was made during the government meeting on Monday, June 30, and is part of broader efforts to control public spending and correct the country’s excessive budget deficit.

The updated provisions, published the same evening in the Official Gazette, according to Agerpres, also cap the number of extra vacation days granted for performing hard or hazardous work.

The new regulation sets the duration of additional paid leave between three and five working days, down from the previous maximum of ten. The original draft of the ordinance had proposed a stricter reduction to just one to three days.

“These measures are necessary to ensure a prudent fiscal policy and medium- and long-term sustainability, as well as to address the excessive budget deficit,” the government said in the statement quoted by Biziday.ro.

The new rules took effect on July 1, 2025, and will remain in place until December 31, 2026.

Additionally, the government has decided to maintain the current structure of the National Agency for Fiscal Administration’s Antifraud Directorate. Contrary to earlier discussions, the agency will not be divided into county-level branches but will continue to operate through regional structures.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Gov.ro)